ind 

the 

cents 

with  the 

Mojiumf 


open  Court  Publishing  Company 


EDUC. 

PSYCH. 

UBRARt 


touc. 

LIBRAW 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


The  John  J.  and  Hanna  M.  McManus 

Morris  N.  and  Chesley  V.  Young 

Collection 


% 


y 


BEHIND    THE    SCENES 


WITH 


THE   MEDIUMS 


DAVID  P.   ABBOTT 


FOURTH  REVISED  EDITION 


CHICAGO 

THE  OPEN  COURT  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1912 


Copyright,  by 

THE  OPEN  COURT  PUBLISHING  CO. 

1907 


Add  to  Lib, 


GIFT 


EDUC. 
UBBASf 


DEDICATION. 

TO  THOSE  AUTHORS  OF  MY  BEING 

WHOSE  IMAGES  ARE  SACREDLY  ENSHRINED 

WITHIN    MY   HEART, 

MY  FATHER  AND  MY  MOTHER; 

AND 

TO   MY   SISTER,   MRS.   ADA   ABBOTT   HUMPHREY, 

WHO  HAS  GIVEN  ME  VALUABLE  AID  IN  ITS  PREPARATION, 
I  DEDICATE  THIS  BOOK. 


848 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

HALF  HOURS   WITH   MEDIUMS. 

I.  Introduction.    I 

11.  Washington  Irving  Bishop's  Sealed  Letter  Reading 

in  a  New  Dress 5 

III.  Test  Where  a  Trick  Envelope  with  a  Double  Front 

is  used 14 

IV.  Test  Where  the  Medium  Secretly  Filches  a  Letter 

from  the  Pocket  of  the  Sitter 20 

V.  The  Mystic  Oracle  of  the  Swinging  Pendulums,  or 
Mind  over  Matter. — A  Rapping  Hand. — Light  and 
Heavy   Chest 28 

VI.  Tests  Given  in  a  Large  Store  Room  with  Curtains 

for  Partitions,  Using  Telegraphy,  etc 35 

VIL  A  Billet  Test  Using  a  Trick  Envelope.— A  Spirit 
Message  Written  on  a  Slate,  in  the  Sitter's  Pres- 
ence      39 

VIII.  Flower  Materialization 50 

IX.  The  Dark  Seance.— A  Deceptive  Grip, — Mental  Tests 

— Spirit  Voices,  Taps,  and  Lights 53 

X.  Materialization.  —  Preparation  of  Luminous  Cos- 
tumes, Method  of  Presentation,  etc 70 

XI.  Tests  Given  in  a  Room  in  a  Hotel— Slate-Writing 
on  Slates  Selected,  Cleaned,  and  Held  by  Sitter. 
— Test  Wherein  the  Sitter's  Own  Slates  are  Used. 
— Billet  Work  in  Connection  Therewith. — The 
Prepared  Table 76 


IV  TABLE  OF   CONTENTS. 

PACE 

XII.  Reading  Sealed  Billets  Before  a  Company  in  a  Room 

in  which  Absolute  Darkness  Reigns 82 

MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF   SEALED  WRITINGS. 

I.  Introduction 87 

II.  Preparation  of  the  Writings 91 

III.  Reading  the  Writings. — Production  of  a  Spirit  Mes- 

sage      94 

IV.  The   Secrets  Explained.— Slate  Trick  Requiring  a 

Special  Chair 100 

SPIRIT   SLATE-WRITING  AND   BILLET  TESTS. 
I.  Introduction 1 14 

II.  Message  Produced  on  One  of  a  Stack  of  Slates, 
First  Method. — Method  Using  a  Rug  or  News- 
paper    117 

HI.  Message  on  One  of  a  Stack  of  Slates,  Second 
Method. — How  to  Pass  the  Slates  from  One  Hand 
to  the  Other 122 

IV.  Message  Produced  When  but  Two  Examined  Slates 
are  Used. — Some  Expert  Maneuvering,  and  the 
Importance  of  the  "Pass."  125 

V.  Message  Produced  on  One  of  Two  Slates  Selected 
from  a  Stack,  Third  Method,  where  the  "Pass" 
and  Some  Expert  Maneuvering  are  Introduced. — 
Production  of  a  Message  Written  with  a  Gold 
Ring  Belonging  to  the  Sitter 129 

VI.  To  Secretly  Read  a  Question  Written  on  a  Slate 
by  a  Sitter,  when  a  Stack  of  Slates  is  Used. — 
How  to  Secretly  Obtain  a  Confession  or  Ques- 
tion, Written  on  Paper  and  Sealed  by  the  Sitter, 
when  a  Stack  of  Slates  is  Used 132 

VII.  Message   Produced  on  a   Slate   Cleaned  and  Held 

under  a  Table  by  a  Sitter 138 


TABLE  OF   CONTENTS.  V 

PAGE 

VIII.  Slate  Trick  Requiring  Three  Slates  and  a  Flap.— 
The  Same  Used  as  a  Conjuring  Trick.— Prepara- 
tion of  the  Slates 142 

IX.  Slate  Trick  Requiring  a  Double-Hinged  Slate  and  a 

Flap 150 

X.  Independent    Paper   Writing.— Two    Slates    and   a 

Silicate  Flap  Used I53 

XL  Slate  Trick  with  a  Single  Slate  and  a  Flap,  which 
is  Suitable  for  Platform  Production.— Methods  of 
Forcing  the  Selection  of  a  Certain  Word. — Meth- 
ods of  Forcing  the  Selection  of  a  Sum  of  Figures. 
—The  Same  Trick  Where  Two  Slates  are  Used. 
—The  Same  When  Three  Slates  are  Used,  and  a 
Spoken  Question  Answered,  with  Words  in  Col- 
ored Writing 156 

XII.  Methods  of  Obtaining  a  Secret  Impression  of  the 
Writing  of  a  Sitter.  —  A  Store-Room  Reading 
where  this  is  Used. — A  Test  Using  a  Prepared 
Book.  —  How  to  "Switch"  a  Question.  —  Tricks 
Depending  on  this  Principle.  —  Tests  Given  by 
Various  Chicago  Mediums. — Reading  a  Message 
by  Pressing  it  on  a  Skull  Cap  Worn  by  Medium.  164 

XIII.  Tricks  where  the  Sitter  Brings  his  Own  Slates. — 

Various  Traps. —  Psychometric  Tests. —  Message 
on  Slates  Wrapped  in  the  Original  Paper  in  which 
they  were  Purchased. — Other  Messages 178 

XIV.  Message  on  a  Sitter's  Slate  Produced  by  a  Rubber 

Stamp. — Message  Produced  by  an  Adroit  Ex- 
change of  Slates. — Chemical  Tricks. — Other  Meth- 
ods.— Means  of  Securing  Information 188 

SOME  MODERN  SORCERY. 

I.  Presentation  of  the  Tests 193 

II.  Explanation  of  the  Secrets 200 

III.  The  Same  as  Adapted  to  Work  in  a  Double  Parlor.  209 

IV.  The  Use  of  the  Card  Servante  and  Blackboard....  2II 


VI  TABLE   OF    CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 
Some  Strange  and  Unusual  Tests  with  an  Explanation 215 


MATERIALIZATION. 
Additional    Information i-35 

RELATION    OF    MEDIUMSHIP    TO    PALMISTRY, 
ASTROLOGY,  AND   FORTUNE-TELLING 

Tests  in  Connection  with  a  Reproduction  of  the  Sitter's 

Palm 246 

PERFORMANCES  OF  THE  ANNIE  EVA  FAY  TYPE. 

Questions   Written   and   Retained   by   the    Spectators   an- 
swered by  a  Blindfolded  Lady  on  the  Stage 253 

VEST-TURNING. 
Method  Explained. 260 

AN    IMPROVED    BILLET    TEST. 
Reading  Billets  for  an  Assembled  Company 263 

APPENDIX:     CORRESPONDENCE    WITH     INQUIRERS 
THROUGH   "THE   OPEN   COURT." 

Mediumistic  Seances 266 

A    Puzzling   Case 280 

Spirit    Portraiture 294 


ADDENDA. 

Another  Billet  Test c 320 

The  Swinging  Pendulums  Again 324 

Index 329 


HALF  HOURS  WITH  MEDIUMS. 


IT  is  probably  due  to  the  scientific  training  of  the 
present  age  that  there  are  those  amongst  us  who  can 
not  accept  the  promise  of  immortaHty  on  faith  alone. 
Such  as  these  require  something  in  the  nature  of  a 
positive  proof  for  any  belief  which  they  may  entertain. 
They  seem  unconsciously  to  realize  that  the  chances 
of  any  unproven  proposition  or  statement  being  untrue 
are  vastly  in  the  majority. 

Such  persons  seem  to  feel  that  if  a  race  of  thinking 
beings  were  slowly  evolved  upon  a  flying  world,  the 
majority  of  ideas  which  such  beings  would  evolve  in 
their  minds,  if  unproven,  would  not  correspond  with 
objective  facts ;  that  only  those  which  could  be  proven 
in  some  manner  would  possess  a  value  ;  that  the  chances 
are  greatly  against  the  probability  of  the  truth  of  un- 
proven ideas  of  things  and  existence  in  general ;  also 
that  minds  which  could  in  a  superstitious  age  evolve 
and  believe  in  such  superstitions  as  witchcraft,  sorcery, 
etc.,  might  in  the  same  age  evolve  and  believe  in  other 
superstitions  that  are  unwarranted  by  the  facts,  al- 
though pleasing  to  the  individual. 

Such  persons  as  these  would  solve  the  mystery  of 
mysteries  by  the  power  of  their  intellect  alone.  Such 
as  these  would  unlock  the  lips  of  nature  and  rob  her 


2  HALF   HOURS   WITH   MEDIUMS. 

of  her  secret,  but  to  such  as  these  no  answer  framed  in 
words  of  hope  has  ever  come. 

"We  ask,  yet  nothing  seems  to  know ; 

We  cry  in  vain — 
There  is  no  master  of  the  show, 

Who  will  explain. 
Or  from  the  future  tear  the  mask, 
And  yet  we  dream  and  yet  we  ask. 

"Is  there  beyond  the  silent  night 

An  endless  day, 
Is  death  a  door  that  leads  to  light  ? 

We  cannot  say. 
The  tongueless  secret  locked  in  fate 
We  do  not  know,  we  hope  and  wait." 

"If  a  man  die  shall  he  live  again?"  This  question 
of  questions  still  appeals  to  the  human  heart  with  the 
same  strength  that  it  did  in  the  days  of  old.  Many 
solutions  to  this  problem  of  problems  have  been  of- 
fered, many  times  has  man  answered  this  question ;  yet 
it  ever  and  ever  repeats  itself  in  the  human  heart. 

If  the  structures  which  are  our  bodies  must  dissolve 
at  death,  does  the  innerness  of  these  structures  which 
is  spirit  vanish  utterly?  Does  death  hold  for  us  but 
the  promise  of  the  same  unfathomable  gulf  of  black- 
ness out  of  which  we  came  at  birth?  Is  the  eternal 
future  to  be  to  us  the  same  as  was  the  eternal  past? 
Is  life  but  a  temporary  abode  on  a  peak  that  is  touched 
by  the  fingers  of  light  for  a  day,  while  all  around  yawns 
an  infinite,  shoreless  gulf  of  impenetrable  darkness, 
from  one  side  of  which  we  appeared  and  to  whose 
other  side  we  hurry  to  meet  our  destiny? 

We  feel  certain  that  both  our  material  and  spiritual 
parts  are  actualized  by  elements  eternal  and  indestruc- 
tible.    But  does  that  something,  other  than  these  ele- 


HALF   HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS.  3 

ments— that  which  they  actiiaHze,  that  creation  which 
appears  as  a  result  of  their  combination  in  a  special 
form,  that  something  else  which  is  ourselves — vanish 
utterly  with  the  dissolution  of  the  elements  which  tem- 
porarily actualize  both  our  bodies  and  our  spirits? 

Not  long  ago  I  saw  an  aged  father  lying  in  a  coffin, 
— a  pale,  waxen  figure,  silent  and  cold.  Around  his 
bier  stood  the  weeping  relatives  while  the  minister  re- 
cited these  lines : 

"Some  time  at  eve  when  the  tide  is  low, 

I  shall  slip  my  moorings  and  sail  away, 
With  no  response  to  the  friendly  hail 

Of  kindred  craft  in  the  busy  bay. 
In  the  silent  hush  of  the  twilight  pale, 

When  the  night  stoops  down  to  embrace  the  day, 
And  the  voices  call  in  the  water's  flow — 

Some  time  at  eve  when  the  tide  is  low 
I  shall  slip  my  moorings  and  sail  away. 

"Through  purple  shadows  that  darkly  trail 

O'er  the  ebbing  tide  of  the  unknown  sea, 
I  shall  fare  me  away  with  a  dip  of  sail 

And  a  ripple  of  waters  to  tell  the  tale 
Of  a  lonely  voyager,  sailing  away 

To  mystic  isles,  where  at  anchor  lay 
The  craft  of  those  who  have  sailed  before 

O'er  the  unknown  sea  to  the  unseen  shore. 

"A  few  who  have  watched  me  sail  away 
Will  miss  my  craft  from  the  busy  bay: 
Some  friendly  barks  that  were  anchored  near. 

Some  loving  souls  that  my  heart  held  dear 
In  silent  sorrow  will  drop  a  tear. 

But  I  shall  have  peacefully  furled  my  sail 
In  moorings  sheltered  from  storm  or  gale, 
And  greeted  the  friends  who  have  sailed  before 
O'er  the  unknown  sea  to  the  unseen  shore." 


4  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

I  thought,  as  I  listened,  "Is  this  true,  shall  we 
greet  again  the  friends  that  have  gone  before?"  The 
cold  facts  of  science  and  philosophy  are  poor  consola- 
tion in  a  time  like  this.  Then  it  is  that  but  one  promise 
can  satisfy  the  longing  of  the  human  heart. 

When  one  lays  a  life-long  companion  in  the  tomb; 
when  one  looks  for  the  last  time  on  the  pityful,  pinched 
little  face,  and  realizes  that  never,  never  again  will  the 
loved  one  answer  to  one's  voice;  then  it  is  that  the 
darkness  of  despair  settles  down  on  the  night  of  the 
soul.  The  desire  to  again  meet  the  loved  one  may  be 
but  a  sentiment  to  which  nature's  answer  will  finally 
be,  if  not  its  gratification,  the  extinction  of  the  senti- 
ment in  annihilation ;  yet  the  heart  craves  but  one  an- 
swer to  its  longings. 

Is  it  strange  that  the  tired  and  weary  soul,  worn 
with  its  despair,  should  at  times  turn  its  breaking 
heart  to  these  mystic  priests  of  occultism  for  consola- 
tion— to  these  rnysterious  beings  that  claim  the  power 
to  summon  from  the  silent  abysses  of  emptiness,  the 
shades  of  our  beloved  ones  who  have  vanished  and  are 
but  a  m.emory  ?  It  is  the  consolation  of  feeling  beyond 
a  doubt  that  one's  dear  one  still  exists,  together  with 
the  love  of  the  miraculous  which  lies  in  every  nature, 
that  makes  it  possible  for  these  persons  to  perpetuate 
their  religion.  This  religion  requires  a  seeming  mir- 
acle for  the  proof  of  its  truth,  but  it  is  not  the  first 
religion  in  which  miracles  have  played  a  part. 

One  gray  winter  afternoon  as  the  north  wind  was 
howling  down  the  streets  and  swirling  clouds  of  snow 
against  my  windows,  I  thought  of  some  place  to  spend 
the  evening  that  would  break  the  loneliness.  I  noticed 
in  a  daily  paper  an  advertisement  of  one  of  the  high- 
priests  of  this  strange  religion,  and  I  determined  with 


HALF   HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS.  5 

a  friend  to  visit  the  realm  of  the  supernatural  that 
evening. 

II. 

Accordingly,  my  friend  and  I,  together  with  some 
thirty  or  more  other  guests,  assembled  in  the  medium's 
parlors  at  eight  o'clock.  The  Rev.  Madame  E.,  ''Cele- 
brated Occultist,  Trance  Medium,  Clairvoyant,  Pos- 
sessor of  the  Sixth  Sense,  etc.,  etc.,"  delivered  the 
opening  sermon.  This  sermon  was  certainly  unique 
in  its  entire  absence  of  ideas.  I  was  involuntarily  re- 
minded of  the  passage  in  Hamlet  where  Polonius  says, 
"What  do  you  read,  my  lord?"  and  Hamlet  replies, 
"Words,  words,  words." 

I  will  however  modify  this  statement.  There  was 
one  idea  which  seemed  to  impress  the  spectators  favor- 
ably, and  its  logic  seemed  to  entirely  satisfy  them.  It 
was  the  statement  that  "there  never  was  an  imitation 
of  anything  until  after  there  had  existed  the  genuine 
thing  to  be  imitated ;  that  accordingly  there  never  was  a 
fraud  until  after  there  was  something  genuine  of  which 
the  fraud  was  an  imitation;  now  as  there  is  fraud  in 
mediumship,  there  must  also  be  the  genuine  medium- 
ship  of  which  the  fraud  is  an  imitation." 

This  seemed  to  thoroughly  convince  the  listeners, 
so  the  "Occultist"  proceeded  with  her  tests,  giving 
every  one  in  the  room  a  test,  which  performance  was 
really  very  effective. 

I  will  now  describe  the  tests.  Slips  of  paper  were 
passed  around  with  the  request  that  each  sitter  write 
on  the  slip  of  paper  given  him  a  question  which  he 
desired  to  have  answered.  The  sitters  were  also  in- 
structed to  address  the  questions  to  a  spirit,  and  to  sign 
their  own  names  to  them.     After  writing  they  were 


6  HALF   HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS. 

requested  to  fold  the  slips  in  halves  with  the  writing 
inside.    This  was  done. 

The  manager  then  collected  these  questions  in  a  hat 
and  turned  them  out  on  the  center  table.  The  billets 
made  quite  a  display  in  quantity  as  they  lay  carelessly 
on  the  table,  and  the  medium  paid  no  attention  to  them 
whatever.  The  medium  now  invited  some  spectator 
to  blindfold  her ;  and  taking  a  lady's  kid  glove,  she 
first  placed  it  over  her  eyes  as  an  additional  precaution, 
and  then  placing  a  large  handkerchief  over  the  glove 
she  had  the  spectator  tie  it  tightly  behind  her  head. 
She  then  held  her  face  to  the  audience  and  asked  them 
if  they  were  satisfied  that  s}ie  was  properly  blindfolded. 
As  there  seemed  no  doubt  on  this  point  the  medium 
proceeded. 

She  first  informed  the  sitters  that  she  would  make 
no  attempt  to  answer  the  questions  asked,  or  even  to 
read  them,  but  that  she  would  simply  give  them  the 
impressions  which  she  should  receive  from  them,  no 
matter  how  they  applied  or  to  what  they  referred.  She 
also  requested  that  each  spectator  speak  right  out  and 
identify  his  message  as  soon  as  he  should  recognize 
the  same  as  being  for  him.  She  now  felt  her  way  to 
the  table,  and  took  a  seat  at  the  side  opposite  the 
audience,  so  that  she  fated  the  audience  with  the  table 
and  billets  between  her  and  the  spectators.  She  next 
nervously  fingered  a  few  of  the  billets;  and  opening 
some  of  them,  she  stacked  them  on  the  table,  smooth- 
ing them  out. 

She  now  took  one  of  the  billets,  and  smoothing  it 
out,  pressed  it  tightly  against  the  bandage  on  her  fore- 
head and  began : 

"I  get  the  vibration  of  a  man  who  passed  out  very 


HALF  HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS.  7 

suddenly.  It  was  entirely  unlocked  for,  and  I  get  the 
name  of  Fred." 

'That  is  for  me,"  remarked  a  spectator. 

"Do  you  recognize  him  ?" 

"I  do." 

"Yes,  he  was  shot — shot  right  through  here,"  said 
the  medium,  placing  her  hand  to  her  breast.  "Do  you 
recognize  this  as  a  fact?" 

"I  do,"  replied  the  sitter. 

"There  was  a  baby,  was  there  not?"  asked  the  me- 
dium. 

"There  was,"  replied  the  sitter. 

"Where  is  this  baby?" 

"That  is  what  we  want  to  know,"  the  sitter  an- 
swered. 

The  medium  then  said,  "I  see  that  she  is  well  and 
growing.  She  is  in  the  care  of  an  elderly  lady  who  is 
kind  to  her.  She  is  east,  for  I  go  east  to  get  the  vibra- 
tion. She  was  taken  by  a  younger  lady  and  given  to 
this  elderly  lady.    Are  you  satisfied?" 

"I  am,"  replied  the  spectator. 

The  medium  now  took  another  slip  of  paper,  and 
pressing  it  tightly  to  her  bandaged  forehead,  gave  the 
second  test. 

"I  get  the  influence  of  a  younger  lady.  Her  name  is 
Mary." 

"That  is  for  me,"  remarked  an  aged  lady  among  the 
spectators. 

"You  recognize  her,  do  you  ?" 

"I  do." 

"You  are  her  mother,  for  she  comes  to  me  as  your 
daughter." 

"That  is  right,"  replied  the  lady. 


8  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

"You  recognize  this  thoroughly,  do  you?"  asked  the 
medium. 

"I  do." 

"She  says,  'Tell  mother  that  nothing  could  have  been 
done  for  me,'  "  said  the  medium. 

"She  says  that,  does  she?"  asked  the  lady,  as  she 
began  crying. 

"Yes,  she  says,  'Mother,  nothing  could  have  saved 
me ;  you  did  all  that  it  was  possible  to  do,'  "  answered 
the  medium. 

"Thank  God  for  that,"  said  the  lady,  with  tears 
rolling  down  her  aged  cheeks,  and  her  withered  hands 
trembling  violently.  "I  have  worried  much  about 
that;  I  thought  that  perhaps  she  might  have  been 
saved." 

"No,  she  could  not  have  been,"  answered  the  me- 
dium. 

The  medium  now  took  another  slip  of  paper,  and 
pressing  it  to  her  forehead,  gave  the  third  test. 

"I  feel  the  influence  of  a  lady  around  me,  a  rather 
young  lady  who  died  of  consumption.  I  get  the  name 
of  Priscilla." 

"That  is  for  me,"  replied  a  spectator. 

"You  recognize  her,  do  you?" 

"I  do." 

"She  was  your  sister?" 

"Yes." 

"She  had  high  cheek  bones  and  tawny  brown  hair, 
did  she  not?"  asked  the  medium. 

"She  did." 

"Several  of  your  family  had  consumption,  did  they 
not?"  asked  the  medium. 

"Yes,  there  are  three  dead,"  replied  the  spectator. 

"All  from  consumption?" 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  9 

"Yes." 

"There  are  four  of  you  alive,"  stated  the  medium. 

"Only  three,"  corrected  the  sitter. 

"I  get  the  vibration  of  four,  or  rather  seven  in  your 
family :  I  am  certain  of  this,"  stated  the  medium. 

"There  were  but  six,"  corrected  the  gentleman. 

"There  v^ere  seven.  There  v^as  a  little  child  of 
whom  you  do  not  know,"  asserted  the  medium. 

It  was  impossible  for  me  to  remember  any  more  of 
the  tests  literally ;  but  these  three  are  a  fair  sample  of 
some  thirty  or  more,  all  about  equally  successful.  The 
audience  was  visibly  impressed  and  affected  with  this 
seance.  The  three  tests  I  have  given  above  are  very 
accurately  reported  just  as  they  occurred,  for  I  exerted 
my  memory  to  its  utmost  to  fix  them  literally  in  my 
mind.  She  made  a  few  errors ;  but  when  she  discov- 
ered she  was  following  the  wTong  clue,  she  quickly 
adopted  another  course.  She  explained  her  error  by 
saying  that  the  vibration  was  broken  or  the  influence 
weakened.  When  asked  what  good  it  did  her  to  have 
written  questions  if  she  did  not  answer  or  read  them, 
she  replied  that  this  helped  her  to  get  "concentration," 
whatever  this  may  mean.  Later  on  she  came  to  my 
question,  and  gave  me  a  test,  as  follows: 

"Mr.  Abbott,  I  get  for  you  the  name  of  James.  I 
feel  the  vibration  of  an  elderly  man  with  short  chin 
whiskers.  He  is  quite  portly  built,  has  very  bright 
eves,  and  was  always  sarcastic.  Do  you  recognize 
him?" 

"I  do,"  I  replied.  (I  hope  to  be  forgiven  in  the 
hereafter  for  this  statement,  but  I  did  not  want  to 
throw  discouragement  on  the  seance.) 

"I  see  you  give  something  wrapped  up  to  this  James, 
but  I  can  not  make  out  what  it  is,"  she  said. 


lO  HALF   HOURS   WITH   MEDIUMS. 

"You  are  correct,"  I  replied. 

I  was  thoroughly  convinced  that  she  was  reading  the 
questions,  and  that  she  was  getting  her  information 
from  the  questions  asked.  I  was  sure  that  she  took 
what  information  she  could  from  each  question  and 
added  to  it  from  her  fertile  imagination  and  from  the 
replies  of  the  sitters;  and  that  thus  she  produced  the 
effect,  which  was  certainly  quite  great,  with  the  audi- 
ence. 

Accordingly,  after  the  seance,  I  sauntered  around  to 
the  center  table,  and  got  an  opportunity  to  read  a  few 
of  the  questions  that  were  written  on  the  slips  of 
paper. 

One  read :  "Fred :  Who  fired  the  fatal  shot  ?  Where 
is  the  baby?"  This  was  signed  "George."  This  was 
the  question  from  which  the  first  test  was  given.  If 
the  reader  will  compare  the  first  test  given  with  this 
question,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  no  information 
contained  in  the  test,  that  could  not  be  surmised  from 
the  question  itself  by  a  shrewd  person. 

One  question  read,  "Mary:  Could  anything  have 
been  done  that  would  have  saved  you?"  This  was 
signed  "Mother."  This  question  was  the  one  from 
which  the  second,  test  was  given.  It  can  be  compared 
with  the  test  with  the  same  results  as  in  the  first  case. 

Another  question  read,  "Priscilla:  Are  we  all  to  die 
of  consumption?"  This  was  signed  "James  H — ." 
In  this  case  I  feel  sure  that  the  medium  knew,  by  the 
gentleman's  voice  and  position  in  the  room,  whom  she 
was  addressing.  The  writer  of  this  question  had  high 
cheek  bones,  and  hair  of  a  color  that  would  indicate 
the  description  that  the  medium  gave  of  his  dead  sister. 
It  is  possible  that  this  gentleman  had  attended  her 
former  seances  and  that  she  knew  him  from  former 


HALF  HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS.  II 

experiences.  I  feel  sure  that  the  medium  studied  the 
different  characters  in  her  room  thoroughly  while  the 
company  was  gathering ;  and  that  she  remembered  the 
peculiar  looks  of  each,  and  in  some  cases,  their  voices. 

In  one  test  she  said,  "I  get  the  name  of  Frat  or  Prat, 
or  something  of  the  kind.  I  can  not  quite  catch  it." 
A  spectator  replied,  "That  is  for  me.    It  is  Frat." 

I  found  that  this  question  and  the  name  were  poorly 
written  so  that  one  could  not  tell  with  certainty 
whether  the  name  began  with  an  "F"  or  a  *T."  This 
proved  that  her  difficulty  was  not  in  hearing  the  voice 
of  the  spirit,  hut  in  reading  the  writing  of  the  mortal. 

As  to  my  own  question,  I  addressed  it  to  the  name 
of  a  dead  friend.  The  name  was  "Will  J — ."  I  wrote 
it  hurriedly  with  no  support  for  the  paper  but  my  hand, 
and  the  last  name  resembled  the  name  "James,"  but 
it  was  another  name  entirely.  I  signed  my  own  name 
plainly,  and  the  question  read,  "Did  you  read  what  I 
sent  you  ?"  It  can  thus  be  seen  that  the  test  given  me 
had  no  bearing.  Mr.  J —  was  a  young  man  and  wore 
no  whiskers.  I  know  of  no  "James" .  answering  her 
description. 

And  now  to  explain  the  method  she  used  in  reading 
the  questions.  This  is  an  old  and  well-known  trick 
in  a  new  dress.  The  trick  of  which  this  performance 
is  a  variation,  is  known  to  the  profession  as  "Wash- 
ington Irving  Bishop's  Sealed  Letter  Reading."  I 
have  performed  it  many  times  and  I  recognized  it  at 
once.  In  the  first  place  I  noticed  that  she  used  a  lady's 
kid  glove  when  being  blindfolded.  This  is  precisely 
the  method  of  blindfolding  given  in  the  instructions 
for  the  above-mentioned  trick.  The  kid  is  a  little  stiff ; 
and  it  is  an  easy  matter  for  the  blindfolded  person  to 
look  down  upon  the  table  from  under  the  bandage. 


12  HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

There  is  thus  a  strip  of  the  table  top  some  six  inches 
wide  easily  in  the  view  of  the  medium.  It  is  also  easy 
to  shift  a  bandage  of  this  style  slightly  upward  by  a 
motion  of  raising  the  eyebrows. 

A  close  observer  would  have  noticed  that  the  medium 
first  unfolded  a  couple  of  papers,  smoothed  them  out 
and  laid  them  on  the  table  writing  side  up;  that  these 
lay  between  the  pile  of  unread  papers  and  herself; 
that  she  next  took  another  paper  and  pressed  it  to  her 
forehead,  and  at  the  same  time  placed  her  right  elbow 
on  the  table  and  apparently  rested  her  head  in  her  right 
hand,  which  at  the  same  time  pressed  the  paper  against 
her  forehead ;  that  when  she  did  this  she  leaned  for- 
ward on  her  hand  and  thus  the  part  of  the  table  on 
which  lay  the  opened  papers  came  directly  in  range  of 
her  concealed  eyes.  When  she  gave  the  first  test,  she 
was  reading  the  question  on  the  table  under  her  eyes, 
and  was  not  getting  it  from  the  paper  against  her  fore- 
head. 

As  soon  as  she  finished  the  first  test  she  laid  the 
paper  in  her  hand  on  top  of  the  opened  ones,  writing 
side  up;  and  opening  and  placing  another  one  against 
her  head,  she  gave  the  second  test.  Meanwhile  she 
again  leaned  her  head  in  her  hand  so  that  she  could 
read  the  writing  on  the  paper  she  had  just  laid  down. 
She  was  thus  all  the  time  one  billet  behind  in  her 
reading,  and  was  really  reading  the  one  under  her 
eyes,  while  pretending  to  draw  inspiration  from  the 
one  pressed  against  her  forehead.  A  close  observer 
would  have  noticed  that  she  invariably  held  the  side  of 
the  paper  on  which  the  writing  was,  next  to  her  head. 
The  spectators  thus  never  could  see  the  writing  and 
thereby   discover  the   deception.     She   could   tell   the 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  1 3 

writing  side  of  the  papers  by  feeling,  as  this  side  was 
folded  inward  in  all  cases. 

A  few  evenings  after  this  seance,  I  attended  her 
Sunday  night  meeting.  The  hall  was  packed,  and  even 
standing  room  taken.  The  tests  given  were  of  the 
same  character  as  those  given  at  her  seance ;  and  as 
she  gave  them,  they  met  quick  responses  from  persons 
over  the  hall.  The  efifect  was  really  fine,  and  I  was 
surprised  that  such  an  old  and  well-known  trick  could 
affect  so  many  persons  so  seriously.  When  writing 
my  question,  I  tore  the  slip  of  paper  given  me  into 
halves,  and  wrote  on  half  of  it.  I  later  saw  the  medium 
with  half  a  slip  in  her  hand  while  giving  another  test. 
When  she  laid  down  this  half  slip  and  took  up  another, 
she  gave  me  my  test.  I  thus  verified  what  I  already 
knew  in  regard  to  the  manner  in  which  she  read  the 
questions. 

On  both  occasions,  after  the  meetings,  when  guests 
were  departing,  I  noticed  the  manager  gather  up  the 
questions  and  place  them  carefully  in  his  pocket.  I 
knew  that  this  was  in  order  that  next  day  they  might 
be  studied  and  catalogued. 

I  might  mention  that  at  the  Sunday  night  meeting 
some  tests  were  given  before  the  medium  began  her 
regular  tests.  She  merely  said  that  certain  spirits  came 
to  her,  gave  their  names  and  other  details,  and  said 
that  they  wished  to  communicate  with  some  one  in  the 
room.  The  medium  asked  for  whom  each  test  was ; 
and  as  certain  spectators  recognized  each  test,  the 
effect  was  very  fine  on  the  audience.  In  one  case,  after 
a  gentleman  had  identified  one  of  these  tests  as  for 

him,  the  medium  asked,  "Is  your  name  Mr. ?"  The 

spectator  replied  that  it  was.  "Correct,"  said  the  me- 
dium, "I  see  that  name  written  right  over  your  head." 


14  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

These  tests  were  in  the  nature  of  "Blue  Book"  tests, 
but  I  do  not  think  this  medium  has  a  book  of  Cmaha. 
I  think  that  she  got  her  information  from  questions 
asked  her  on  sHps  of  paper  at  the  previous  meetings, 
seances,  and  pri^^ate  readings ;  also  from  gossiping 
with  different  persons  who  called  during  the  daytime 
for  private  readings.  I  understood  that  she  frequently 
visited  with  such  persons  after  giving  them  a  reading, 
and  that  she  was  accounted  a  very  friendly  and  so- 
ciable person.  It  is  very  easy  to  gain  information  by 
keeping  all  written  questions  and  studying  them  after 
the  meetings. 

That  this  method  is  generally  used  I  know  from  the 
fact  that  some  time  ago  a  certain  medium  came  to  grief 
in  Omaha.  The  police  confiscated  his  paraphernalia, 
in  which  was  found  a  "Blue  Book"  of  Omaha.  The 
public  was  invited  to  call  and  see  this  book ;  and  be- 
lievers could  go  and  read  their  own  questions,  written 
in  this  book,  with  their  own  names  signed  to  them. 
Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  the  persons  of  that  faith 
are  ready  to  be  duped  again,  so  great  in  the  ordinary 
man  is  the  love  of  the  occult  and  the  desire  for  positive 
proof  of  individual  immortality. 


III. 

I  know  a  lady  in  a  country  place  who  recently  re- 
ceived a  letter  which  read  as  follows: 

"Mrs.  S.  E.  J— , 
C— ,  Neb. 
Dear  Madam:  At  one  of  our  seances  recently  the 
spirit  of  a  young  lady  made  her  appearance  and  gave 
her  name  as  Mary  E.  J — .     She  claims  to  be  your 


HALF   HOURS   WITH   MEDIUMS.  I5 

daughter  and  strongly  expressed  a  desire  to  communi- 
cate with  you.  If  I  can  be  of  any  service  to  you,  you 
may  command  me. 

I  remain  faithfully  yours, ." 

This  letter  was  signed  by  a  professional  medium  at 
that  time  located  in  Lincoln,  Neb.,  and  was  written  on 
a  letter-head  which  contained  the  information  that  the 
writer  was  a  famous  trance  medium,  etc.,  etc. 

The  lady,  on  receiving  this,  was  greatly  impressed 
by  such  a  letter  from  an  utter  stranger  in  a  city  some 
distance  from  her.  There  was  no  reason  why  she 
should  be  known  to  this  medium  in  any  way,  as  she 
had  never  heard  of  him.  She  had  a  daughter,  Mary, 
who  had  died  of  typhoid  just  before  graduating  from 
a  certain  school ;  and  her  heart  had  been  nearly  broken 
over  the  loss.  She  had  passed  a  few  weary  years 
grieving  over  her  dear  one;  and  after  receiving  this 
letter,  her  mind  continually  dwelt  on  its  strange  con- 
tents. Finally  she  could  stand  the  strain  no  longer; 
so  she  determined  to  make  a  visit  to  the  city,  and  learn 
what  this  mysterious  person  could  reveal  to  her. 

Accordingly  she  made  the  journey  and  in  due  time 
arrived  at  the  residence  of  the  medium.  While  wait- 
ing her  turn  at  the  home  of  the  medium,  she  fell  into 
conversation  with  another  lady  from  another  place 
who  was  waiting  for  the  same  reason ;  and  who  had 
received  a  letter  similar  to  the  one  described  above. 

When  her  turn  came  she  was  invited  into  a  private 
room  of  the  medium,  where  she  was  informed  that 
he  charged  one  dollar  for  his  time ;  that,  however,  he 
was  at  the  lady's  service ;  and  while  he  made  no  prom- 
ises, he  would  do  the  best  he  could  for  her. 

She  paid  the  medium  his  fee,  and  he  brought  out  a 


l6  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

box  of  envelopes.  He  first  handed  the  lady  a  sheet  of 
paper,  and  directed  her  to  write  a  letter  which  he  dic- 
tated.   It  read  something  like  this : 

"Dear  Mary:  Tell  me  if  you  are  happy  over  there. 
Can  you  see  me  and  your  brothers,  and  are  there 
wonderful  sights  to  see  in  the  realms  where  you  are? 
Did  you  suffer  much  when  you  passed  out? 

Your  mother,  S.  E.  J—." 

The  medium  now  took  an  envelope  from  the  box  of 
stationery,  and  opening  it  up,  requested  the  lady  to 
breathe  in  it  so  as  to  magnetize  it.  This  she  did,  and 
incidentally  noticed  that  it  was  empty.  The  medium 
now  requested  her  to  place  her  letter  in  this  envelope, 
which  she  did.  He  immediately  sealed  it  before  her 
eyes  without  removing  it  from  her  sight  for  one  in- 
stant ;  and  taking  one  end  of  it  in  the  tips  of  the  fingers 
of  his  right  hand,  he  requested  the  lady  to  hold  the 
opposite  end  in  her  fingers  so  as  to  "establish  connec- 
tion, and  the  proper  conditions." 

The  sat  in  this  manner  for  probably  five  minutes 
during  which  time  the  medium  discoursed  on  the  truths 
of  spiritual  science.  At  the  end  of  this  time  the 
medium  said,  "Let  us  see  if  we  have  anything."  Tak- 
ing the  envelope  in  his  left  hand,  he  tore  open  its  end 
with  his  right  hand,  and  removed  the  letter  the  lady 
had  placed  in  the  envelope,  handing  the  same  directly 
to  her.  She  immediately  unfolded  it  and  to  her  sur- 
prise found  that  her  writing  had  utterly  disappeared, 
and  in  its  place  was  the  following  letter: 

"Dear  mother :  I  am  happy,  oh,  so  happy,  over  here ! 
I  can  see  you  and  my  brothers  at  any  time,  and  I  visit 
you  every  day ;  but  you  do  not  know  it.    You  can  not 


HALF  HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS.  ly 

tell  at  what  moment  I  am  looking  at  you  all  with  my 
invisible  eyes  and  listening  to  your  voices.  I  will  be 
waiting  to  meet  you  when  you  come  over,  and  you  will 
be  so  happy  to  see  the  wonderful  sights  there  are  here. 
My  suffering  ceased  the  moment  I  began  to  die,  and  I 
knew  nothing  but  the  greatest  joy. 

Yours  with  love  forever,  Mary  E.  J — ." 

The  lady  said  she  never  could  express  the  joy  she 
felt  on  reading  this  communication  from  her  beloved 
daughter,  and  that  to  her  dying  day  she  would  treasure 
this  missive.  The  medium  immediately  handed  her 
the  envelope  in  which  it  had  been  sealed,  and  told  her 
she  could  keep  all  in  memory  of  her  daughter,  which 
she  did. 

She  remarked  that  the  writing  did  not  seem  quite 
natural  to  her,  and  the  medium  explained  that  his 
"guide"  did  the  writing,  while  her  daughter  merely 
dictated  the  communication.  The  lady  never  had  been 
a  spiritualist  but  now  is  certainly  greatly  impressed 
with  this  religion  of  wonders. 

I  will  now  explain  the  method  used  by  the  medium 
in  this  performance.  He  uses  a  box  of  envelopes  of 
the  ordinary  business  size  or  a  trifle  smaller.  He  takes 
one  envelope  and  with  a  pair  of  scissors  cuts  a  small 
margin  off  the  ends  and  bottom  of  it.  He  now  dis- 
cards the  back  side  of  the  envelope,  and  uses  only  the 
front  side  with  its  flap  which  is  attached  to  it.  This 
half  of  an  envelope  will  now  slip  inside  of  another 
envelope,  and  the  two  flaps  will  fit  each  other  very  ac- 
curately. By  moistening  the  flap  of  the  complete  en- 
velope it  can  be  sealed  to  the  flap  of  the  ''dummy." 
This  the  medium  does  so  neatly  that  none  but  the 
sharpest   eye  could   detect  that   the   envelope   has   a 


l8  HALF  HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS. 

double  front  and  that  the  flap  really  consists  of  two 
flaps  stuck  together  neatly.  Before  fastening  the  two 
flaps  together  the  message  is  prepared  and  placed  in 
the  compartment  between  the  two  fronts. 

After  all  is  prepared,  the  envelope  looks  like  an 
ordinary  one;  and  if  it  be  taken  from  a  box  of  en- 
velopes, there  is  nothing  to  give  an  idea  of  prepara- 
tion. The  medium  always  sits  in  such  manner  that 
the  subject  is  between  him  and  the  light,  as  otherwise 
the  subject  might  see  the  paper  in  the  concealed  com- 
partment of  this  prepared  envelope. 

The  medium  now  gives  the  sitter  a  sheet  of  paper 
on  which  to  write  the  letter  he  dictates.  This  sheet  of 
paper  is  an  exact  duplicate  of  the  sheet  in  the  prepared 
envelope,  and  if  the  subject  were  a  close  observer  he 
would  notice  that  this  sheet  had  been  previously  folded. 
The  object  of  this  is  that  the  subject  may  fold  it  up 
at  the  same  creases,  so  that  when  it  is  folded  it  will 
be  the  same  in  appearance  as  the  duplicate.  When 
the  medium  asks  the  subject  to  breathe  in  the  envelope 
and  magnetize  it,  this  is  for  the  purpose  of  calling 
to  the  sitter's  attention  the  fact  that  the  envelope  is 
empty,  and  at  the  same  time  not  use  words  to  do  so. 
Should  the  medium  make  the  statement  that  the  en- 
velope is  empty,  this  statement  would  suggest  trickery, 
and  might  cause  an  investigation  that  would  reveal 
the  secret.  If,  however,  in  breathing  in  the  envelope, 
it  be  held  so  that  the  subject  can  see  the  entire  interior 
of  the  envelope,  it  will  be  remembered  afterwards  and 
cited  as  evidence  of  the  impossibility  of  trickery  of 
any  kind. 

When  the  lady  places  the  letter  in  the  envelope  the 
medium  is  holding  it  open.  He  immediately  seals  it 
himself  and  taking  it  in  the  tips  of  the  fingers  of  his 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  19 

right  hand  requests  the  sitter  to  hold  the  other  end  of 
the  envelope.    When  the  medium  is  ready  to  produce 
the   message,   he   tears  the   end  of  the   envelope   off 
himself;  and  holding  the  envelope  in  his  left  hand, 
he  reaches  in  the  front  compartment  with  the  fingers 
of  his  right  hand,  bringing  out  the  message  which  he 
hands  directly  to  the  sitter,  with  the  request  that  it  be 
examined  for  a  communication.  The  moment  the  sitter 
sees  the  words,  the  excitement  of  reading  is  so  great 
that  it  is  exceedingly  easy  for  the  medium,  with  the 
left  hand  which  contains  the  envelope  to  slip  into  his 
left  pocket  the  envelope  just  used  and  take  therefrom 
the  duplicate.     His  left  side  is  away  from  the  sitter; 
and  he  has  ample  time  to  make  the  exchange  and 
bring  out  a  genuine  envelope  with  the  end  torn  off, 
which,  now  as  the  sitter  finishes  reading  the  message, 
he  takes  in  his  right  hand  and  presents  to  the  subject. 
After  the  performance,  it  is  most  usual  for  the  sit- 
ters to   forget  that  the  medium   dictated  the  letters 
which  they  have  written ;  and  they  will  almost  invar- 
iably tell  one  that  they  wrote  a  letter  themselves  and 
received  one  in  reply  to  their  own  questions.    This  is 
a  most  effective  trick,  and  is  the  entire  stock  in  trade 
of  this  medium.    Of  course  he  has  a  means  of  getting 
information  in  the  little  towns  about  certain  persons, 
and  to  these  he  sends  his  circular  letters.    This  can  be 
managed  in  many  ways.     The  medium  can  visit  the 
different  towns  and  get  information  from  the  files  of 
local  papers,  graveyards,  etc.    Or  he  can  have  a  man 
who  is  canvassing  for  something,  to  secretly  send  in 
the  information  with  the  names ;  and  he  can  pay  such 
person  part  of  the  proceeds  for  his  work.     Such  a 
person  frequently  learns  much  about  certain  citizens, 


20  HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

by  adroit  questions  addressed  to  other  citizens,  in  the 
course  of  his  stay  in  the  towns. 

When  the  medium  sends  out  a  circular  letter,  he 
immediately  prepares  an  envelope  with  a  suitable  mes- 
sage and  labels  it  on  a  separate  slip  of  paper.  He  also 
writes  on  this  slip  a  note  which  reminds  him  of  what 
the  letter  must  consist,  which  he  is  to  dictate  to  this 
subject  when  she  arrives. 

All  persons  do  not  respond  to  these  circulars ;  but  a 
goodly  number  do  respond,  and  when  one  arrives,  she 
usually  introduces  herself  or  else  presents  to  the  me- 
dium the  letter  w^hich  he  wrote  to  her.  As  soon  as 
a  subject  introduces  herself  and  states  her  business, 
the  medium  retires  to  another  room  to  get  his  box 
of  stationery  and  of  course  selects  the  properly  pre- 
pared envelope  and  places  it  in  the  box  where  he  can 
easily  choose  it.  He  also  reads  his  notes  and  is  now 
prepared  to  dictate  the  letter  for  the  subject  to  write. 

I  have  known  other  mediums  to  use  this  same  trick, 
but  not  in  so  effective  a  manner  as  this  medium  uses  it. 


IV. 

A  first-class  medium  is  not  only  expert  in  the  per- 
formance of  certain  particular  tricks,  but  is  also  very 
resourceful  when  occasion  demands  it,  and  is  particu- 
larly expert  in  the  use  of  language.  I  can  not  better 
illustrate  this  than  by  giving  a  short  account  of  a 
private  reading  which  a  certain  medium  of  consider- 
able renown  gave  to  a  gentleman  in  Omaha  some  five 
years  ago. 

The  medium  was  traveling  under  the  name  Dr.  Lee 
H — .  He  was  really  very  expert,  and  simply  mystified 
•nil  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.     His  tricks,  from 


HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  21 

what  I  can  learn  of  them  from  descriptions  given  to 
me  by  observers,  were  surely  very  superior. 

My  informant,  an  advertising  agent  for  a  daily 
paper,  is  a  mutual  friend  of  the  medium  and  myself, 
v/ell  versed  in  trickery  and  mediumistic  work,  and  the 
medium  kept  no  secrets  from  him.  This  friend  of 
mine  was  an  eye-witness  to  the  scene  I  am  about  to 
describe,  and  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  the  details  of 
the  experiment,  for  he  happened  to  visit  the  medium 
when  a  gentleman  called  for  a  reading. 

The  room  was  a  very  large  one  with  a  large  bedstead 
standing  across  one  corner,  and  placed  with  its  head 
next  to  the  corner.  The  medium  beckoned  to  my 
friend  to  step  behind  the  head  of  this  bed,  which  he 
did ;  and  from  this  point  he  saw  all  the  details  of  some 
of  the  finest  mediumistic  work  that  is  ever  performed 
off-hand.  The  sitter  could  have  seen  my  friend,  had 
he  observed  closely,  but  he  failed  to  do  so. 

The  medium  was  a  very  large  and  powerful  man, 
and  wore  no  beard.  I  may  incidentally  remark  that, 
in  looking  up  his  history,  I  am  informed  that  at  one 
time  he  had  been  a  pugilist.  After  this  he  became  a 
minister  of  the  Gospel,  finally  taking  up  the  profession 
of  a  spirit  medium,  as  this  was  more  lucrative  for  one 
of  his  talents  and  personal  appearance. 

The  gentleman  stated  to  the  medium  that  he  had 
read  his  advertisement,  and  that  he  desired  to  consult 
him.  The  medium  requested  the  gentleman  to  write 
down  the  questions  he  desired  answered,  also  to  write 
on  a  slip  of  paper  his  own  name  and  the  name  of  some 
spirit  with  whom  he  desired  to  communicate,  and  to 
fold  and  retain  the  writing  himself. 

The  sitter  refused  to  do  this.  He  said,  "You  ad- 
vertise that  you  will  tell  callers  their  own  names,  and 


22  HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

that  you  will  answer  their  questions  without  them 
asking  the  same.  Now  I  am  an  unbehever;  and  if 
you  can  do  these  things,  do  so,  and  I  will  pay  you  and 
have  a  reading.  I  do  not  purpose  to  write  anything." 
He  in  fact  showed  that  he  had  considerable  intelligence 
and  that  he  did  not  intend  to  assist  in  any  sleight-of- 
hand  trick  and  be  duped. 

The  medium  was  a  very  pompous  old  fellow ;  he 
stood  very  erect  and  dignified,  and  talked  very  gruffly 
and  rapidly.  He  wore  a  smoking  jacket;  and  I  may 
incidentally  mention  that  it  had  two  large  outside 
pockets  near  the  bottom,  and  two  large  inside  pockets, 
one  on  each  side  with  large  vertical  openings ;  and  with 
a  stiff  material  around  the  openings  that  held  them 
slightly  open.  Of  course,  these  details  could  not  be 
seen  by  the  sitter,  but  my  friend  had  ample  opportunity 
to  discover  this  fact  at  various  times. 

The  medium  when  talking,  continually  ejaculated  a 
kind  of  noise  as  if  he  was  slightly  clearing  his  throat ; 
but  it  was  also  in  the  nature  of  a  growl.  This  noise 
is  hard  to  describe  on  paper;  but  from  the  imitation 
which  I  have  heard  my  friend  give  of  it,  I  would  say 
that  it  is  such  as  I  have  frequently  heard  large  gruff 
old  fellows  use  when  they  gaze  down  at  one  from  over 
their  glasses  and  give  the  impression  that  they  are 
greatly  condescending  when  conversing  with  one.  The 
medium  kept  interspersing  his  rapid  remarks  on  spirit- 
ualism with  these  growls.  He  kept  tapping  the  sitter 
on  the  breast  with  the  extended  fingers  of  his  right 
hand  as  if  emphasizing  his  remarks.  At  the  same  time 
he  held  the  sitter's  right  hand  with  his  other  hand,  and 
gazed  very  intently  into  his  eyes.  The  medium  was 
so  strong  that  he  could  easily  swing  the  sitter  around 
into  almost  any  position  he  desired ;  and  while  lectur- 


HALF   HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS.  23 

ing  him,  the  medium  kept  emphasizing  his  remarks 
with  his  right  fingers  in  a  manner  entirely  too  vigor- 
ous for  the  bodily  comfort  of  the  sitter. 

The  medium  appeared  to  be  very  angry  that  the 
sitter  should  have  the  effrontery  to  call  on  him  for  a 
reading,  and  at  the  same  time  insult  him  by  a  suspicion 
of  his  honesty  in  a  matter  which  the  medium  held  so 
sacred.  The  medium  acted  as  if  he  were  about  to 
order  the  gentleman  from  his  rooms;  but  continued 
to  hold  him  by  the  hand,  while  he  kept  a  stream  of 
excited  conversation  flowing.  He  kept  tapping  the 
gentleman  on  the  breast,  and  emphasizing  his  remarks, 
while  he  gazed  intently  into  the  sitter's  eyes  and  backed 
him  around  the  room.  He  would,  occasionally,  while 
tapping,  gesticulate  wildly;  and  in  all  these  ways,  he 
continued  to  distract  the  sitter's  attention  and  to  make 
him  wish  he  were  in  more  congenial  surroundings.  At 
the  proper  moment  my  friend  saw  the  medium  deftly 
slip  from  the  breast  pocket  of  the  sitter  a  letter  which 
he  had  spied.  He  brought  it  instantly  into  his  palm, 
which  was  a  large  one,  in  the  manner  a  magician  does 
when  palming  a  card.  He  turned  his  right  side  from 
the  sitter  and  with  his  right  hand  slipped  the  letter  into 
his  own  lower  pocket  on  that  side.  He  never  took  his 
eyes  from  the  sitter's  during  all  this;  and  when  he 
ceased  tapping,  the  sitter  seemed  evidently  relieved. 

The  medium  then  said  that  he  would  give  the  gentle- 
man something  that  would  convince  him;  and  he 
brought  from  a  table  a  dozen  or  more  slates  all  alike, 
and  laid  them  on  the  bed.  He  requested  the  sitter  to 
select  a  clean  slate  from  among  these,  which  was  done. 
The  medium  then  took  the  selected  slate ;  and  turning, 
he  placed  it  in  a  chandelier  a  few  feet  distant  and  left 
it  there  for  the  spirits  to  write  on,  which  they  did  in 


24  HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

a  few  moments.  Meanwhile  the  medium  entertained 
the  sitter  properly. 

What  the  medium  really  did  when  he  turned  with 
the  slate,  was  quickly  to  slip  it  into  his  left  inside 
breast  pocket,  which  stood  slightly  open,  and  instantly 
to  draw  from  the  other  pocket  a  duplicate  slate  on 
which  was  a  message  already  prepared.  He  placed 
this  slate  containing  the  message  in  the  chandelier  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  sitter  could  not  see  the  writing. 

In  a  few  moments  the  medium  took  down  the  slate 
with  the  message,  and  handed  it  to  the  sitter.  Just  at 
this  time  the  medium  seemed  to  hear  some  one  at  his 
door,  which  his  servant  failed  to  answer ;  and  excusing 
himself  for  a  moment,  he  left  the  room,  and  could  be 
heard  outside  storming  at  the  servant  for  his  neglect 
of  duty.  Meanwhile  the  sitter  examined  the  slates  and 
read  the  message,  as  he  had  no  desire  to  attempt  to 
escape  through  the  outside  hallway  wherein  was  the 
raging  medium.  During  this  time  the  medium  of 
course  read  the  stolen  letter. 

He  soon  returned,  and  now  came  some  of  the  finest 
work  of  all.  His  task  was  to  replace  the  stolen  letter 
in  the  gentleman's  pocket  unobserved.  He  finally  suc- 
ceeded by  following  his  original  tactics,  at  the  same 
time  discussing  the  message  the  gentleman  had  re- 
ceived on  the  slate.  He  kept  tapping  the  sitter  on  the 
breast,  while  with  his  left  hand  he  again  grasped  the 
sitter's  hand,  and  continued  wildly  to  discourse  and 
gesticulate.  He  kept  backing  the  gentleman  around 
the  room,  and  if  he  did  not  partially  frighten  him,  at 
least  made  him  feel  rather  uncomfortable  and  long  for 
a  more  congenial  clime.  The  sitter  wore  a  pair  of 
glasses  with  a  cord  attached  to  the  pocket  wherein  the 
medium  desired  to  replace  the  letter.    This  occasioned 


HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  2^ 

considerable  difficulty,  as  the  letter  caught  on  the  cord 
when  the  medium  attempted  to  slip  it  from  his  palm 
into  the  sitter's  pocket. 

For  a  time,  the  medium  gave  up.  He  slipped  the 
letter  into  the  lower  pocket  of  the  sitter,  and  was  evi- 
dently going  to  give  the  sitter  the  remainder  of  the  test, 
but  seemed  to  reconsider  his  determination.  He  now 
renewed  his  efforts  and  finally  withdrew  the  letter 
from  the  lower  pocket  of  the  sitter  and  eventually  suc- 
ceeded in  replacing  it  in  the  original  pocket.  This  was 
very  difficult,  as  he  did  not  dare  to  take  his  eyes  from 
the  eyes  of  the  sitter  during  the  entire  experiment. 

It  seems  incredible  that  the  medium  could  have  taken 
the  letter  from  the  breast  pocket  of  his  visitor  and  re- 
place it  unnoticed,  but  professional  pickpockets  can  do 
even  more  extraordinary  things,  and  the  medium  was 
well  versed  in  tricks  of  sleight-of-hand.  The  main 
feature  of  the  performance  consisted  in  overawing  the 
skeptical  sitter  to  such  an  extent  that  he  had  not  suf- 
ficient power  of  concentration  left  to  observe  either  the 
filching  of  the  letter  or  its  replacement.  My  friend, 
however,  from  his  hiding-place,  could  calmly  observe 
the  performance,  and  he  saw  how  in  spite  of  difficulties 
the  medium  finally  succeeded. 

The  medium's  manner  now  grew  more  mild.  His 
excitement  seemed  to  disappear  and  he  was  master 
of  the  situation.  He  said  that  although  the  sitter  came 
to  him  an  unbeliever,  and  although  he  refused  to  write 
and  thus  help  to  establish  the  proper  conditions  which 
were  required  for  the  sake  of  harmony,  etc.,  that  he 
really  believed  the  sitter  was  an  honest  man.  He  ac- 
cordingly would  suspend  his  rules,  and  he  would  make 
a  great  effort  and  give  the  gentleman  a  test.  He  said, 
"I  have  decided  that  /  will  tell  you  your  name."    The 


26  HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

medium  then  allowed  his  person  violently  to  convulse 
while  he  conversed  with  the  spirits  of  the  empty  air 
and  questioned  them.  He  had  great  difficulty  in  hear- 
ing their  voices,  but  finally  letter  by  letter  spelled  out 
the  gentleman's  name  for  him,  which  was,  "John  A. 
Crow." 

This  startled  the  sitter  greatly  and  the  medium  then 
said,  "You  are  a  great  skeptic,  but  I  will  convince  you 
yet.  I  will  tell  you  where  you  live."  Then  repeating 
his  process  of  conversing  with  the  shades  of  the  de- 
parted, he  got  the  street  number  of  the  gentleman's 
home,  which  was  Twenty-three  hundred  and  some- 
thing North  Twenty-fourth  Street,  Omaha,  Neb. 

This  put  the  sitter  completely  at  the  mercy  of  this 
man  of  mystery.  The  medium  now  said :  'T  see  mines 
and  mining.  You  are  having  some  trouble  there.  But 
it  is  not  about  mines ;  yet  there  are  mines  there,  for  I 
see  them.  Yes,  you  are  in  some  serious  trouble,  and  I 
keep  seeing  mines,  mines,  mines  everywhere.  I  see 
this  trouble,  but  it  is  not  about  mines."  Then  finally 
he  said,  "1  get  the  name  of  Deadwood.  Your  trouble 
is  at  Deadwood."  The  sitter  acknowledged  this  to  be 
the  case. 

Now  the  facts  were  that  the  sitter  had  just  received 
this  letter  from  an  attorney  in  Deadwood,  and  it  was 
about  a  serious  personal  matter.  The  medium  had  of 
course  gained  all  his  information  from  this  letter.  The 
sitter  had  evidently  just  received  the  letter  and  placed 
it  in  his  breast  pocket.  While  it  was  worrying  him, 
he  had  called  on  the  medium  to  consult  him  about  the 
matter  uppermost  in  his  mind. 

Well,  this  performance  converted  the  sitter  thor- 
oughly. He  paid  the  medium  two  dollars  for  the  sit- 
ting.   He  also  paid  the  medium  twenty  dollars  more, 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  2^ 

as  remuneration  for  his  services  wherein  the  medium 
agreed  to  exert  his  spiritual  influence  in  behalf  of  the 
sitter  in  the  before-mentioned  trouble. 

My  friend  thinks  that  the  gentleman  remains  a  be- 
liever until  this  day,  although  he  is  not  personally  ac- 
quainted with  him. 

The  influence  of  a  medium  over  a  subject  is  very 
great  when  once  the  subject  has  been  convinced.  I 
know  the  case  of  a  quite  fleshy  gentleman  who  con- 
sulted Dr.  Schlessinger,  (a  medium  described  in  a 
later  chapter)  in  regard  to  reducing  his  flesh. 

Dr.  Schlessinger  was  really  one  of  the  most  expert 
mediums  I  have  ever  met  or  of  whom  I  have  ever 
heard.  This  gentleman  was  thoroughly  converted  by 
the  doctor.  He  consulted  him  in  regard  to  what  treat- 
ment he  should  take  for  failing  health,  induced  by  ex- 
cessive flesh  and  other  troubles.  He  was  directed  to 
drink  no  water  or  other  liquid  for  thirty  days.  He  was 
allowed  to  eat  fruit,  but  was  to  use  only  a  scanty  diet 
of  any  kind.  This  gentleman  actually  followed  these 
instructions.  He  reduced  his  flesh  some,  but  I  rather 
think  he  was  weakened  somewhat  by  such  heroic  treat- 
ment. He  is  a  worthy  gentleman,  a  respected  citizen, 
and  a  man  of  some  influence.  He  told  me  personally 
that  when  his  thirst  became  unbearable  he  used  a 
little  fruit,  and  was  thus  able  to  endure  his  thirst. 

I  know  another  gentleman,  who  while  I  write  this, 
is  being  treated  by  a  fraudulent  medium  in  this  city 
for  granulated  eye-lids.  He  has  tried  many  physicians 
with  no  success,  so  perhaps  faith  will  do  for  him  what 
medicine  has  failed  to  do.  However,  I  know  positively 
that  this  medium  is  fraudulent. 


28  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 


V. 

Sometimes  expert  professional  mediums  originate 
some  good  trick  and  successfully  guard  its  secret  from 
the  public  for  years.  As  an  instance  of  this  I  will  de- 
scribe one  that  was  originated  by  a  first-class  medium 
some  years  ago.  This  medium  had  many  superior 
tricks  at  his  command,  but  unfortunately  he  left  the 
city  too  suddenly  for  my  friend,  the  advertising  agent, 
to  get  a  good  description  of  most  of  them.  The  me- 
dium had  greatly  bewildered  the  public ;  but  about  this 
time  a  brother  in  the  profession  succeeded  in  getting 
twelve  hundred  dollars  from  a  confiding  person,  and 
as  this  was  about  to  be  discovered  he  took  his  depar- 
ture. This  made  such  a  stir  that  the  medium  first  re- 
ferred to  also  left  the  city. 

This  second  medium  effected  this  financial  coup  de 
maitre  in  the  following  manner.  A  lady  was  in  some 
sort  of  financial  difficulty, — a  law-suit  over  an  estate 
or  something  of  the  kind.  She  had  this  money  and 
desired  the  medium's  spiritual  aid.  He  consulted  the 
spirits  and  did  as  they  directed  which  was  as  follows : 
The  money  was  to  be  sealed  up  in  an  envelope  in  a 
certain  manner,  and  the  lady  was  to  conceal  this  en- 
velope in  a  safe  place  unopened  for  a  period  of  thirty 
days,  during  which  time  the  charm  was  to  work  and 
the  lady  to  win  her  suit.  Of  course,  the  medium  ex- 
changed envelopes  for  the  lady,  and  she  concealed  one 
containing  some  pieces  of  paper.  During  the  thirty 
days  which  the  medium  intended  to  remain  in  Omaha, 
the  lady  happened  to  grow  short  of  finances,  and  went 
to  the  medium  to  borrow  enough  to  pay  her  house 
rent.  This  medium  was  a  man  of  considerable  intelli- 
gence, but  he  had  poor  judgment.     He  refused  the 


HALF   HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS.  29 

lady  this  loan,  claiming  to  be  short  of  funds  himself. 
As  a  result,  the  lady  decided  to  open  the  envelope,  un- 
known to  the  medium,  and  remove  the  amount  needed. 
The  consequence  was  that  the  medium  hurriedly  left 
town. 

The  trick  which  the  first  medium  originated  I  will 
now  describe.  He  called  it  'The  Mystic  Oracle  of  the 
Swinging  Pendulums,  or  Mind  over  Matter."  Briefly, 
it  consisted  in  the  medium  apparently  causing  any 
pendulum,  which  might  be  selected  from  a  number 
hanging  on  a  frame  or  in  a  number  of  bottles,  to 
vibrate  or  swing  in  response  to  his  will.  There  v/as 
absolutely  no  mechanical  or  electrical  connection  to 
any  of  the  pendulums  whatever.  Most  of  these  pen- 
dulums consisted  of  a  bullet  suspended  by  a  piece  of 
hair  wire.  On  a  few  of  them  glass  marbles  of  various 
sizes  were  used  instead  of  bullets. 

When  the  pendulums  were  suspended  inside  of  bot- 
tles, the  bottles  were  corked  shut  and  the  pendulums 
were  suspended  from  the  center  of  the  corks.  The 
bottles  used  were  of  different  sizes  and  shapes,  and  the 
pendulums  were  of  various  lengths,  and  were  painted 
various  colors.  In  one  bottle  was  a  cross  from  which 
hung  three  pendulums  in  the  same  bottle.  These  bot- 
tles were  standing  upon  a  center  table. 

In  the  center  of  the  top  of  this  small  table  was  fixed 
an  upright  brass  rod  about  two  feet  high.  There  was 
a  cup  on  its  top  which  contained  one  bottle.  This  rod 
was  made  steady  by  guy  wires  running  from  its  top 
to  the  four  corners  of  the  table.  There  was  a  cross 
rod  near  the  top  of  this  vertical  rod  which  was  prob- 
ably eighteen  inches  long.  From  it  were  suspended 
various  pendulums  some  of  which  hung  inside  of  wine 
glasses,  or  goblets,  at  their  lower  ends.    Others  merely 


30  HALF   HOURS  WITH    MEDIUMS. 

had  glasses  stationed  on  either  side  of  them  so  that  the 
pendukims  would  ring  them  when  swinging.  He  also 
had  two  tripods  which  were  erected  from  three  brass 
rods  and  from  the  center  of  v/hich  hung  a  pendulum 
inside  a  glass  goblet.  These  tripods  were  to  stand  on 
the  same  table  with  the  cross  and  bottles.  All  rods 
were  plated  and  neatly  finished. 

The  trick  consisted  in  the  medium,  by  the  mere 
power  of  his  will,  causing  any  pendulum  to  swing  and 
strike  the  sides  of  the  bottle  or  glass  within  which  it 
hung,  and  answer  questions  by  its  taps. 

When  the  company  called  upon  him,  he  brought  the 
tripods  and  bottles  from  a  corner  of  the  room,  and 
placed  them  on  this  center  table.  This  table  was  an 
ordinary  light  center  table  with  a  small  cover.  There 
were  many  pendulums  thus  in  view  of  the  spectators 
who  stood  around  the  table.  The  medium  seated  him- 
self at  the  table  and  placed  his  hands  lightly  upon  it, 
as  spiritualists  do  when  summoning  the  departed. 

The  medium  then  requested  any  one  to  select  the 
pendulum  he  desired  to  have  answer  his  quesions. 
When  this  was  done  the  medium  gazed  intently  at  it, 
and  lo,  it  slowly  began  to  move !  It  gained  in  ampli- 
tude at  each  swing  until  it  struck  the  sides  of  the 
bottle  or  goblet  within  which  it  hung,  giving  the  re- 
quired number  of  raps  on  the  glass. 

After  this  pendulum  answered  the  questions  asked, 
another  pendulum  could  be  selected  by  any  spectator. 
This  one  to  the  amazement  of  all  would  slowly  begin 
to  swing  and  repeat  all  the  maneuvers  of  the  first  one, 
while  the  first  one  would  gradually  cease  swinging. 
This  could  be  tried  any  number  of  times  and  was  al- 
ways successful  no  matter  which  pendulum  was  se- 
lected. 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  3I 

My  friend  assured  me  that  of  all  the  tricks  he  had 
ever  witnessed,  this  one  mystified  him  most;  and,  in 
fact,  he  could  discover  no  clue  to  the  secret  of  the  trick. 
The  room  was  bare  of  furniture  or  carpet,  and  was 
well  lighted.  The  center  table  could  be  moved  about, 
thoroughly  inspected,  and  the  apparatus  thoroughly 
examined  for  concealed  wires,  threads,  etc.  The  bot- 
tles could  be  removed  and  inspected  at  any  time,  and 
even  the  corks  taken  out  and  the  pendulums  examined ; 
yet  all  absolutely  obeyed  the  medium's  will. 

This  trick,  I  believe,  is  unknown  to  the  dealers  in 
secrets  for  the  use  of  mediums,  and  to  the  best  of  my 
knowledge  has  never  become  known.  Accordingly, 
I  will  give  the  secret  to  the  readers  of  this  book,  so  that 
any  one  with  just  a  little  practice  can  operate  the  trick. 
I  have  constructed  the  apparatus  and  worked  it  very 
successfully,  so  that  I  am  certain  about  the  matter. 

The  idea  is  very  simple,  being  merely  a  little  scien- 
tific principle  practically  applied.  Each  pendulum  is 
of  a  length  different  from  all  of  the  others.  As  a  re- 
sult each  one  swings  in  a  different  time  period.  We 
will  illustrate  this  by  saying  that  one  swings  one  time 
per  second,  another  two  times  per  second,  etc.  It  is 
now  evident  that  if  an  impulse  be  given  to  the  table 
supporting  the  apparatus,  all  of  the  pendulums  will 
make  a  slight  vibration,  but  each  one  will  return  at  a 
different  time.  When  any  pendulum  returns  it  imme- 
diately starts  in  the  reverse  direction.  Now  if  any 
particular  one  receive  a  second  impulse  at  the  par- 
ticular instant  of  returning,  its  second  swing  will  be 
slightly  increased  in  amplitude.  On  its  return  if  it 
again  receive  another  impulse  at  the  proper  instant,  it 
will  again  move  a  trifle  farther  in  its  swing.  This  can 
be  repeated  until  the  pendulum  will  be  swinging  with 


32  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

a  vibration  of  sufficient  amplitude  to  strike  the  glass. 
And  now  let  us  take  one  pendulum  swinging  say  ten 
times  per  minute.  It  must  receive  just  exactly  ten 
impulses  per  minute  in  order  to  increase  the  amplitude 
of  its  swing.  It  must  also  receive  these  impulses  at 
the  proper  instant.  If  more  than  ten  impulses  are 
given,  or  if  they  are  given  in  an  irregular  manner,  the 
pendulum  will  finally  stop  its  motion.  It  is  evident, 
then,  that  all  the  other  pendulums  vibrating  in  differ- 
ent intervals  such  as  twenty,  twenty-five,  etc.,  times 
per  minute,  will  not  be  affected  by  these  impulses  in  a 
proper  manner  to  cause  their  vibration  to  increase. 
In  fact,  the  impulses  given,  being  out  of  tune,  or 
rather  out  of  time,  with  their  motions,  will  tend  to 
bring  them  to  rest.  They  will  dance  about,  and  move 
a  little  in  an  indefinite  manner,  while  the  one  selected 
will  appear  to  have  life  and  intelligence ;  and  it  will 
move  in  a  definite  manner,  as  if  accomplishing  an 
object  or  purpose,  which  in  fact  it  is  doing. 

The  impulses  are  given  by  a  slight  pressure  or  vibra- 
tion applied  to  the  table  by  the  medium's  hands.  He 
merely  watches  the  pendulum  selected  and  times  his 
impulses  with  that  one's  motions.  The  impulses  are 
very  slight  and  the  operator  must  not  become  impa- 
tient, but  must  be  content  to  take  his  time,  for  if  he 
uses  too  much  force  it  can  be  seen  by  the  spectators. 
With  a  proper  table  and  a  proper  apparatus,  the  merest 
pressure  is  sufficient,  if  repeated  at  the  proper  times, 
to  gradually  start  any  pendulum  swinging.  This  pres- 
sure must  be  so  slight  as  not  to  be  observed,  and  a 
cover  on  the  table  helps  to  conceal  the  slight  move- 
ments of  the  hands.  The  hands  should  be  placed  under 
the  cover  so  as  to  come  into  contact  with  the  wood 
of    the  table  and  establish   "proper  conditions,"  the 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  33 

cover  thus  hiding  the  movements  of  the  hands.  Any 
one  trying  this  with  his  hands  under  the  cover  and  in 
a  careful  manner,  will  be  surprised  at  its  effect  on 
those  who  witness  it. 

All  of  the  pendulums  that  are  not  in  tune  with  the 
medium's  impulses  will  move  about  slightly  in  an  er- 
ratic manner,  but  the  selected  one  will  start  right  out 
and  exhibit  intelligence  and  design  in  its  movements, 
from  the  moment  it  is  selected.  It  will  be  found  that 
all  of  the  pendulums  are  moving  a  little  all  the  time ; 
as  the  vibrations  of  the  building,  the  movements  of  the 
persons  in  the  room,  and  the  jar  of  setting  up  the 
apparatus,  etc.,  prevents  their  coming  to  absolute  rest. 
Accordingly,  when  a  pendulum  is  selected,  it  is  already 
moving  somewhat,  although  possibly  in  the  wrong 
direction.  The  operator  merely  times  his  impulses 
with  its  movements,  and  it  soon  changes  its  direction 
to  the  proper  one,  and  its  movements  assume  definite 
form.*  I  will  state  that  the  longer  pendulums  require 
the  heavier  weights,  and  bottles  of  larger  diameter. 


Another  medium  had  a  model  of  a  lady's  hand.  The 
room  was  bare  of  furniture  excepting  chairs.  The 
spectators  were  seated  in  a  circle,  and  four  of  them 
held  a  large  swinging  glass  plate  by  four  ribbons  at- 
tached to  its  corners.  They  held  this  plate  so  that 
when  it  hung  down  between  them,  it  really  formed  a 
level  table  some  six  inches  above  the  floor;  and  it  was 
supported  merely  by  the  aforesaid  ribbons  in  the  sit- 
ter's hands.  On  this  glass  table  the  hand  was  placed. 
This  hand  was  evenly  balanced  so  that  a  slight  pres- 

*  An  excellent  article  on  the  principle  which  this  trick  illus- 
trates is  entitled  "The  Mechanism  of  Sympathy,"  and  can  be 
found  in  The  Open  Court  for  February,  1897. 


34  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

sure  applied  on  its  fingers  would  cause  it  to  tilt  for- 
ward and  tap  the  plate.  Now  if  the  sitters  sat  quietly 
and  asked  this  hand  any  questions  whatever,  it  would 
reply  correctly  by  tapping  on  the  plate. 

The  medium  did  not  have  to  ask  the  questions ; 
neither  did  the  questions  have  to  be  timed  to  suit  any 
internal  mechanism  within  the  hand.  No  particular  line 
of  "patter"  had  to  be  used.  One  could  simply  ask  any 
question  he  might  choose  and  the  hand  would  answer 
him.  There  was  absolutely  no  outside  connection  to 
the  hand  in  any  manner,  and  no  machinery  within  the 
hand.  All  could  be  thoroughly  examined ;  and  the 
usual  thread,  that  so  many  performers  use,  was  im- 
possible in  this  case,  owing  to  the  conditions. 

The  secret  is  an  old  one.  Many  readers  of  this  book 
will  remember  the  "Light  and  Heavy  Chest"  of  the 
old-time  conjurors.  The  performer  could  lift  it  from 
the  stage,  but  no  committee  of  the  spectators  was 
strong  enough  to  raise  it.  It  will  be  remembered  by 
those  who  know  this  trick,  that  the  chest  contained  soft 
iron ;  that  under  the  floor  where  it  sat  was  a  powerful 
electro-magnet,  through  which  the  performer's  assist- 
ant turned  a  current  of  electricity,  causing  the  mag- 
netic force  to  be  exerted  just  as  the  committee  at- 
tempted to  lift  the  chest.  They  were  thus  unable  to 
move  it,  so  strong  was  the  magnetic  force.  The  prin- 
ciple used  in  operating  this  hand  was  the  same.  In  the 
fingers  was  soft  iron.  Under  the  floor  was  a  powerful 
electro-magnet.  The  medium's  assistant,  from  an  ad- 
joining room  listened  to  the  questions  through  a  con- 
cealed tube ;  and  at  the  proper  time  he  pressed  a  but- 
ton, sending  into  the  magnet  the  current  which  was 
strong  enough  to  draw  down  the  fingers  and  cause  the 
hand  to  rap. 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  35 


VI. 

An  intelligent  and  influential  gentleman  once  told 
me  of  a  most  wonderful  experience  that  he  had  in  his 
home  town.  A  lady  medium  came  to  the  town  and  be- 
gan giving  the  most  wonderful  tests.  It  created  much 
talk  and  great  excitement  in  the  town.  He  finally  de- 
cided to  call  on  this  lady.  She  was  a  stranger  in  the 
city,  had  just  arrived,  and  no  one  had  ever  seen  her 
before.  When  persons  called  on  her,  she  asked  no 
questions  whatever,  but  at  once  gave  them  the  most 
marvelous  exhibition  of  her  unheard-of  powers. 

This  gentleman  accordingly  called  on  her,  and  he 
was  certain  that  she  could  not  have  known  him  in  any 
way.  As  soon  as  the  sitting  began,  this  lady  told  the 
gentleman  his  name,  the  number  of  persons  in  his 
family  that  were  living,  also  the  number  that  were 
dead.  She  gave  him  the  names  of  all  of  them,  de- 
scribed his  home  to  him,  and  told  him  many  of  the 
principal  events  of  his  life  without  any  questions  being 
asked.  She  then  summoned  the  spirits  of  his  dead  and 
delivered  their  messages  to  him. 

This  gentleman,  although  very  intelligent,  was  so 
greatly  impressed  that  he  thought  to  test  her  powers 
further.  He  accordingly  sent  other  members  of  his 
family  to  her,  and  they  met  with  the  same  experience. 
The  medium  immediately  told  each  of  them  his  name 
and  repeated  the  first  performance.  This  gentleman 
then  had  other  friends  call  on  the  medium,  but  the 
result  was  always  the  same.  The  people  were  very 
greatly  mystified,  and  the  medium's  apartments  were 
continually  crowded  during  her  short  stay.  In  a  few 
days  she  left,  going  to  another  city. 

The  principle  she  used  I  will  explain  a  little  further 


36  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

on.  Another  medium  doing  this  same  work  traveled 
for  years  in  small  towns,  of  from  two  to  three  thou- 
sand population.  The  method  she  pursued  was  this: 
She  would,  on  entering  town,  quietly  learn  the  name 
of  some  one  of  the  oldest  citizens  of  the  place.  She 
would  select  one  that  had  always  attended  all  public 
places  and  who  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  every 
one. 

She  would  then  approach  this  person,  explain  her 
business  to  him  and  close  a  contract  by  which  he 
should  have  half  of  the  proceeds  of  the  readings ;  and 
in  return  for  the  same  he  was  to  furnish  the  necessary 
information,  and  to  guard  the  secret  well. 

She  always  made  him  sign  a  written  contract  which 
bound  him  to  secrecy,  and  which  would  afterwards 
effectually  prevent  him  from  making  public  his  share 
in  the  transaction ;  as  his  fellow-townsmen  would  see, 
if  this  contract  were  made  public,  that  he  had  helped 
to  fleece  them. 

The  medium  then  engaged  suitable  rooms,  and  her 
assistant  was  each  day  concealed  at  an  early  hour  in 
the  rear  part  of  the  apartments.  A  small  hole  was 
made  in  the  wall  and  concealed  by  some  draperies, 
through  which  the  assistant  could  watch  and  identify 
those  calling  for  readings.  The  medium  usually  ex- 
cused herself  a  moment  to  get  a  drink  of  water  or  to 
attend  to  some  trifling  duty  before  giving  her  reading, 
leaving  the  caller  waiting  for  a  few  moments.  During 
this  time  she  would  inform  herself  fully  of  the  history 
of  the  caller. 

She  sometimes  used  a  couch ;  and  when  doing  so,  she 
lay  on  it  while  in  her  trances,  repeating  to  the  sitter 
the  proper  subject  matter  to  place  such  sitter  com- 
pletely at  her  mercy. 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  37 

When  using  this  couch  she  secretly  adjusted  a  small 
rubber  tube  to  her  ear  next  to  the  wall.  This  tube 
came  through  the  wall,  at  a  small  hole  near  the  floor 
in  the  base-board ;  and  it  had  at  its  farther  end,  in  the 
other  room,  a  mouthpiece  into  which  her  confederate 
whispered  the  information.  When  she  received  such 
information,  she  of  course  elaborated  on  it,  and  pro- 
duced it  in  the  labored  manner  common  to  mediums, 
with  much  additonal  matter  which  she  could  surmise 
and  deduce  from  the  sitter's  own  conversation. 

Her  readings  were  so  marvelous  and  successful  that 
she  simply  coined  money  in  each  town,  carrying  away 
several  hundred  dollars  in  a  few  days.  Her  assistant 
was  so  well  satisfied  with  this  that  he  gladly  kept  her 

secrets. 

*     *     * 

The  method  pursued  by  the  medium  first  referred 
to  was  a  variation  of  the  last  trick.  She  rented  a  store 
building  with  no  partitions  in  it.  She  stretched  cur- 
tains, which  made  very  good  partitions,  so  that  the 
rear  of  the  building  was  hidden  from  callers,  it  being 
in  darkness.  However,  as  the  front  of  the  building 
was  lighted  from  the  windows,  the  confederate  behind 
the  curtain  could  see  through  the  curtain  and  see  the 
subject  plainly. 

The  medium,  took  with  her  a  second  assistant  who 
was  a  telegraph  operator.  When  giving  a  reading  she 
sat  near  the  cross  curtain  and  allowed  her  foot  to  ex- 
tend from  under  her  skirts  to  a  position  under  the 
curtain.  This  could  not  be  noted  by  the  subject;  but 
the  traveling  confederate  behind  the  curtain  was  thus 
enabled  to  telegraph  on  her  foot  all  the  information, 
using  the  regular  "Morse  code,"  while  the  local  con- 
federate wrote  it  down.     She  was  able  to  give  stran- 


38  HALF   HOURS  WITH    MEDIUMS. 

gers  their  names  and  the  most  marvelous  Information 
in  the  most  startling  manner.  She  worked  many  towns 
in  western  Nebraska  most  successfully. 

Another  medium  used  a  similar  method  in  large 
cities;  but  being  unable  to  have  a  local  confederate 
acquainted  with  those  who  might  call,  he  adopted 
the  plan  of  remaining  behind  a  heavy  curtain  himself, 
while  a  confederate  sat  outside,  apparently  being  a 
caller  waiting  his  turn  for  a  reading.  This  confederate 
would  fall  into  conversation  with  other  callers  who 
were  waiting,  and  would  introduce  himself  in  a  man- 
ner that  would  call  for  a  like  confidence  from  the 
caller. 

This  confederate  would  then  graciously  yield  his 
turn  to  the  subject,  as  he  was  in  no  hurry.  The  sub- 
ject would  then  be  taken  behind  the  curtain  to  the 
medium,  who  retired  behind  a  second  curtain  for  a 
moment  before  giving  the  reading.  This  second  cur- 
tain ran  lengthwise  with  the  room  and  met  the  cross 
curtain  in  its  center.  When  the  medium  was  out  of 
sight  of  the  sitter,  the  confederate  passed  the  informa- 
tion through  a  slit  in  the  front  curtain  to  the  medium 
in  the  second  rear  apartment.  The  medium  had  a  city 
directory  handy,  and  thus  he  could  startle  the  stranger 
by  giving  his  name,  and  by  giving  an  address  where 
the  sitter  then  lived,  or  had  previously  lived. 

Sometimes  mediums  get  information  from  the  hat  or 
coat  of  a  sitter,  by  having  a  polite  porter  receive  him 
and  relieve  him  of  his  wraps.  This  porter,  as  soon 
as  the  subject  leaves  the  hall- way,  immediately  exam- 
ines the  aforesaid  articles  for  a  name,  letter,  etc.  The 
last  two  methods  can  not  always  be  relied  upon,  but 
succeed  often  enough  to  cause  much  talk  and  comment 


HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  39 

on  the  marvelous  powers  of  the  medium ;  and  thus 
they  bring  him  many  a  dollar. 

VII. 

Not  so  very  long  ago  I  met  a  friend — a  man  of 
wealth,  who  was  a  firm  believer  in  spiritualism,  and 
who  frequently  conversed  with  his  dead  wife  and 
daughter.  I  asked  him  if  he  could  inform  me  whether 
or  not  there  were  any  good  mediums  in  the  city,  as  I 
should  like  to  consult  one. 

He  replied  that  at  present  there  were  none  in  Omaha 
of  any  well  developed  psychic  powers ;  that  he  was 
entirely  satisfied  on  the  subject  and  did  not  require 
any  demonstrations  to  convince  himself  of  the  truths 
of  spiritual  science.  He  informed  me  that  the  question 
was  settled  beyond  all  dispute ;  but  that  if  I  were  skep- 
tical, there  was  said  to  be  a  medium  in  Council  Bluffs 
who  possessed  most  wonderful  powers. 

I  accordingly  made  other  inquiries  from  those  who 
were  in  a  position  to  know ;  and  I  learned  that  this 
medium,  a  celebrated  ''Doctor  of  the  Occult,  Astrol- 
oger, Palmist  and  Spirit  Medium,"  was  at  that  time 
giving  private  sittings  in  Council  Bluffs  to  earnest  in- 
quirers only,  for  the  small  sum  of  two  dollars. 

I  was  informed  that  his  performances  were  of  the 
most  wonderful  nature ;  that  there  was  no  possibility 
of  trickery  of  any  kind ;  that  he  told  you  whatever  you 
desired  to  know,  without  your  even  asking  him ;  that, 
in  addition  to  this,  he  had  powers  over  the  elements 
of  nature  ;  and,  in  fact,  I  was  led  to  believe  that  he  was 
a  true  sorcerer  of  the  olden  days. 

I  determined  at  once  to  call  on  this  renowned  per- 
sonage, and  try  to  secure  a  little  information  from  the 
unseen  world.     Accordingly,   one   Sunday  afternoon 


40  HALF   HOURS  WITH    MEDIUMS. 

I  took  the  car  that  crossed  the  river,  and  in  due  time 
arrived  at  the  apartments  of  this  wonderful  doctor. 

I  was  met  at  the  door  by  an  attendant,  who  accepted 
the  fee  and  directed  me  to  enter  the  rooms  of  this 
mysterious  person  quietly ;  and  if  I  found  him  em- 
ployed, by  no  means  to  disturb  him,  but  merely  to  await 
his  pleasure;  that  he  was  frequently  conversing  with 
unseen  beings,  or  deep  in  some  astrological  compu- 
tation, and  at  such  times  it  was  not  safe  to  disturb  him. 

With  a  beating  heart  I  entered  the  room  where  he 
was  to  be  found.  This  room  was  a  large  one.  I  did 
not  see  him  at  first.  What  attracted  my  attention  was 
a  large  map  or  painting  on  a  piece  of  canvas  which 
hung  on  a  wall  space  in  the  room.  This  painting  had 
a  representation  of  the  sun  in  its  center.  This  could 
be  discovered  by  the  rays  which  radiated  from  it  in 
all  directions.  Around  this  sun  were  many  stars,  and 
an  occasional  planet,  among  which  Saturn  and  its 
rings  were  very  prominently  depicted.  There  were 
numerous  pictures  of  animals  and  men,  and  of  queer 
monsters,  scattered  amongst  the  stars. 

Beneath  this  picture  stood  a  large  golden  oak  table 
at  which  sat  this  delver  into  the  occult,  deeply  en- 
grossed in  a  study  of  this  painting ;  while  with  a  little 
brush  he  figured  and  calculated,  in  a  queer  sort  of 
Chinese  characters,  which  he  drew  on  a  sheet  of  paper. 
He  also  seemed  to  be  making  a  strange  drawing  on 
the  same  paper.  He  was  far  too  deeply  engaged  to 
notice  my  entrance,  and  continued  at  his  labors  for 
some  time,  while  I  stood  quietly  and  watched  him. 
Sitting  on  one  end  of  this  rather  large  table  was  a 
glass  globe  or  vessel,  supported  by  three  nickeled  rods, 
something  like  a  tripod.  Coming  from  the  wall  was 
a  rather  large  nickeled  tube  or  pipe  which  curved  over 


HALF   HOURS   WITH   MEDIUMS.  4I 

above  the  glass  vessel,  and  continually  allowed  drops 
of  water  to  fall  into  the  globe.  From  the  side  of  this 
glass  vessel  there  led  a  small  nickeled  pipe  which  evi- 
dently carried  away  the  waste  water. 

Occasionally  a  little  blue  flame  would  appear  on  the 
surface  of  this  water,  play  about,  and  disappear.  When 
this  happened  the  body  of  the  medium  was  always  con- 
vulsed slightly. 

After  a  time  he  seemed  to  finish  his  calculation,  and 
this  seer  condescended  to  leave  the  realms  of  the  stars 
wherein  dwelt  the  spirits  that  rule  the  universe  and  the 
destinies  of  men,  and  to  descend  to  earth  and  for  a 
time  direct  his  gaze  towards  this  humble  mortal.  He 
turned  around  and  observed  me  for  the  first  time.  He 
was  a  large,  portly,  fine-looking  gentleman  of  middle 
age,  with  very  long  black  hair  which  gave  him  a 
strange  appearance.  He  wore  a  pair  of  glasses  low 
down  on  his  nose ;  and  from  over  these  he  conde- 
scended to  direct  his  gaze  at,  and  to  study  me  for  a 
moment  as  a  naturalist  might  study  some  specimen 
that  happened  temporarily  to  attract  his  notice. 

He  soon  informed  me  that  the  stars  had  told  him 
something  of  my  coming  and  of  the  question  that  was 
worrying  me ;  and  he  asked  me  if  I  desired  to  consult 
the  stars  as  to  my  destiny,  to  have  him  decipher  it 
from  the  lines  of  my  palm,  or  whether  I  should  prefer 
to  converse  with  the  dead.    The  last  was  my  choice. 

Not  far  from  a  window  at  one  side  of  the  room  there 
was  a  small  table  on  which  were  a  few  articles.  He 
directed  me  to  be  seated  at  this  table,  and  handed  me 
a  slip  of  paper  of  a  size  of  probably  four  by  five 
inches.  He  directed  me  to  write  the  question  I  desired 
answered  on  this  paper,  and  when  through  to  fold  the 
paper  in  halves  three  times  with  the  writing  inside. 


42  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

I  did  SO  while  he  walked  to  his  bowl  of  water  appar- 
ently paying  no  attention  to  me,  and  then  returned. 

When  he  had  returned  to  a  position  opposite  me  at 
the  table,  he  reached  to  take  my  writing  out  of  my 
hand ;  seeing  which  I  quickly  bent  down  one  corner  of 
the  paper  and  gave  it  to  him.  He  directed  one  sharp 
glance  at  me  as  I  did  this,  at  the  same  time  picking  up 
an  envelope  from  the  table  with  his  other  hand.  He 
held  this  envelope  open  flap  side  towards  me,  and 
slowly  inserted  my  paper  into  it.  As  he  did  this,  look- 
ing sharply  at  me,  he  remarked,  "I  am  no  sleight-of- 
hand  performer.  You  see  your  question  is  actually  in 
the  envelope."  This  was  the  case ;  for  it  was  close  to 
me  and  I  could  plainly  see  the  top  of  it  against  the 
back  of  the  envelope,  the  lower  portions  being  in- 
serted ;  and  I  could  see  the  little  corner  folded  down, 
as  I  had  bent  it,  and  I  was  certain  he  had  not  ex- 
changed it.  In  fact  he  took  occasion  to  use  his  hands 
in  such  manner  that  I  could  see  there  was  nothing  con- 
cealed about  them,  that  he  "palmed"  nothing,  and  that 
he  made  no  exchange.  I  was  entirely  satisfied  that  all 
was  fair,  and  that  no  exchange  had  been  made. 

Next,  he  sealed  the  envelope,  and  holding  it  towards 
the  window,  called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  as 
the  envelope  was  partly  transparent  I  could  see  my 
paper  within  it  and  that  it  was  actually  there.  This 
was  really  the  case.  He  now  took  a  match,  and  light- 
ing it  applied  the  flame  to  this  identical  envelope  with- 
out its  leaving  my  sight;  and  proceeded  to  burn  the 
last  vestige  of  it  and  the  paper  within  it,  allowing  the 
ashes  to  drop  into  a  small  vessel  on  the  table. 

There  was  no  doubt  that  he  did  not  exchange  en- 
velopes and  that  he  burned  it  before  my  very  eyes. 
He  now  took  the  ashes  and  emptied  them  into  the  bowl 


HALF   HOURS   WITH   MEDIUMS.  43 

of  water  on  the  side  table.  A  little  blue  flame  appeared 
on  the  surface  of  the  water  after  that  for  a  moment, 
and  then  disappeared. 

He  now  brought  from  a  drawer  a  number  of  slates — 
about  eight  or  ten  small  slates  with  padded  edges. 
They  were  the  smallest  size  of  slates,  I  should  judge ; 
and  with  them  he  brought  another  slate,  a  trifle  larger, 
probably  two  inches  both  longer  and  wider.  He  re- 
quested me  to  examine  thoroughly  or  to  clean  them  all 
to  my  own  satisfaction,  and  to  stack  the  small  ones  on 
the  table,  one  on  top  of  the  other ;  and  when  all  were 
thus  placed,  to  place  the  large  slate  on  top  of  the  stack. 

While  I  was  doing  this  he  called  to  his  attendant  for 
a  drink  of  water,  and  incidentally  stepped  into  the  hall 
to  receive  it,  so  that  his  menial  would  not  profane  this 
sanctuary  with  his  presence. 

Returning  to  the  table  he  took  a  seat  opposite  me 
and  placed  one  of  my  hands  and  one  of  his  on  top  of 
the  slates.  In  due  time  he  took  up  the  slates  and  we 
found  nothing.  He  replaced  them,  and  waited  for  a 
few  moments ;  then  seeming  dissatisfied  with  con- 
ditions, he  took  up  the  top  slate  in  his  left  hand  and 
with  his  right  hand  began  writing  a  message  for  me. 
He  did  this  like  mediums  do  automatic  writing,  with 
eyes  half  closed ;  and  while  writing  his  person  was  con- 
vulsed a  few  times.  He  then  opened  his  eyes  and  read 
aloud  what  he  had  written,  asking  me  if  it  answered 
my  question.  I  replied  that  it  did  not,  as  it  was  en- 
tirely foreign  to  the  subject.  Then  seeming  dissatis- 
fied, he  moistened  his  fingers,  erased  the  writing,  and 
replaced  the  top  slate  on  the  stack  of  slates. 

He  now  placed  his  hands  on  this  slate  again,  and 
after  a  time  examined  it ;  but  it  was  still  free  from 
writing.    He  lifted  up  some  of  the  other  slates ;  but  as 


44  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

there  was  no  writing,  he  scattered  the  slates  around 
on  the  table  and  asked  me  to  spread  a  large  cloth  over 
them  which  he  handed  to  me.  This  I  did,  and  under 
his  direction  placed  my  arms  and  hands  over  this.  He 
walked  to  the  bowl  of  water  on  the  side  table,  and 
gazed  into  it.  I  watched  him ;  and  I  saw  a  rather 
large  flame  appear  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  dance 
about,  and  disappear. 

He  immediately  informed  me  that  he  was  certain 
that  I  now  had  a  message.  He  remained  at  a  distance 
while  I  examined  the  slates  one  by  one.  Finally,  on 
one  of  them  I  found  a  message,  neatly  written  and 
covering  the  entire  slate.    It  read: 

"Mrs.  Piper  is  a  genuine  medium.  She  possesses 
powers  of  a  very  unusual  nature.  Her  tests  given 
Hyslop  and  others  are  genuine.  Do  not  be  a  skeptic. 
You  are  making  a  mistake,  dear  friend.  It  is  all  plain 
to  me  now,  and  spirit  is  all  there  is. — Will." 

Now,  the  question  I  had  written  was  addressed  to 
a  very  dear  friend  who  is  now  dead,  and  read  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Will  J — :  In  regard  to  the  medium,  Mrs.  Piper,  of 
whom  we  conversed  on  your  last  visit,  I  would  ask  if 
she  be  genuine,  and  if  the  tests  she  gave  Professor 
Hyslop  and  others  were  genuine.    Give  me  a  test." 

This  was  all  nicely  done,  and  I  am  sure  would  have 
greatly  impressed  nearly  every  one.  Being  a  per- 
former myself,  I  could  of  course  follow  the  perform- 
ance in  minute  detail,  and  I  am  thus  enabled  to  give  to 
the  readers  of  this  paper  a  detailed  account  of  the 
method  used  by  the  doctor.  I  will  state  that  since  that 
time  I  have  very  successfully  operated  this  same  test, 
minus  the  bowl  of  water  and  flame  of  fire ;-  and  that  I 


HALF  HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS.  45 

can  assure  all  that  it  is  very  practicable  and  that  it  is 
very  deceptive. 

When  the  medium  picked  up  the  envelope  in  which 
to  place  my  paper,  there  was  within  it  a  duplicate  piece 
of  paper  folded  the  same,  and  of  the  same  size  (one 
inch  and  a  quarter  by  two  inches)  as  the  one  I  had 
folded.  He  kept  the  face  of  this  envelope  opposite  me 
so  I  could  not  see  that  side  of  it.  On  the  face  of  it  was 
a  horizontal  slit  cut  with  a  knife.  This  slit  was  about 
two  inches  long  and  was  situated  about  half  way  down 
the  face  of  the  envelope.  The  duplicate  folded  paper 
was  placed  vertically  in  the  envelope  at  its  center,  so 
that  its  center  was  located  against  the  slit.  This  piece 
of  paper  was  held  in  position  by  a  touch  of  paste  at  a 
point  opposite  the  slit,  which  caused  it  to  adhere  to 
the  inside  of  the  back  of  the  envelope. 

When  he  picked  up  this  prepared  envelope  with  his 
left  hand,  he  did  so  with  the  slit  side  or  face  in  his 
palm  next  to  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand.  This  en- 
velope lay  slit  side  down  before  he  picked  it  up;  so 
that  I  did  not  see  the  face  of  the  envelope  at  all,  and 
he  kept  that  side  of  the  envelope  from  me  during  the 
entire  trick.  The  paper  within  the  envelope  had  been 
placed  far  enough  down  so  that  its  top  part  was  not 
exposed  to  my  view.  The  envelope  thus  appeared 
perfectly  natural,  as  an  ordinary  one  with  nothing 
in  it. 

He  thus  held  the  envelope  in  his  left  hand,  flap  open 
wide,  with  the  back  side  of  the  envelope  later  to  be 
sealed,  facing  me.  Now  he  really  inserted  my  paper 
in  this  envelope  with  his  right  hand  as  he  took  it 
from  me;  but  in  fact,  he  pushed  it  down  just  behind 
the  hidden  slip  of  paper  within  the  envelope.  I  mean 
that  he  inserted  it  between  the  concealed  slip  and  the 


46  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

face  or  slit  side  of  the  envelope;  and  as  he  did  this 
he  caused  the  lower  end  of  my  slip  of  paper  to  pass 
through  the  slit  in  the  center  of  the  front  of  the  en- 
velope. The  lower  portion  of  my  slip  was  thus  out 
of  the  envelope  on  its  rear  side,  between  the  front  of 
the  envelope  and  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand ;  although 
I  could  see  nothing  of  this.  He  pushed  it  down  so 
that  the  top  still  remained  in  view  with  the  bent  corner 
exposed,  and  then  sealed  the  flap  over  it. 

Holding  the  envelope  towards  the  window,  he  called 
to  my  notice  the  fact  that  my  paper  was  within,  and 
that  I  could  see  it  plainly.  I  could  see  the  shadow  of 
the  two  papers,  which  appeared  as  one,  and  thus  his 
statement  seemed  correct.  Of  course  he  did  not  show 
me  the  rear  side  or  face  of  the  envelope,  with  my 
paper  protruding,  which  was  immediately  behind  the 
duplicate,  so  that  the  shadow  of  it  was  also  the  shadow 
of  the  duplicate. 

This  shadow  also  hid  from  my  view  the  shadow  of 
the  slit.    The  envelope  was  sealed  fairly. 

Now  with  his  right  hand  he  moved  a  small  vessel  on 
the  table  towards  himself.  Then  taking  the  envelope 
in  his  right  hand,  slit  side  downward,  he  held  it  close 
to  this  vessel;  at  the  same  time  zvith  his  left  hand  he 
took  a  match  from  his  pocket  and  proceeded  to  hum 
the  envelope.  This  move  concealed  the  trick ;  and  it 
was  very  deceiving  and  cleverly  done.  As  he  took 
the  envelope  from  his  left  hand  with  his  right  hand, 
he,  w4th  his  left  fingers  touching  the  protruding  por- 
tion of  my  slip,  caused  it  to  remain  in  his  left  hand 
and  to  be  drawn  entirely  out  of  the  slit.  His  eyes 
followed  the  envelope  as  his  right  hand  took  it ;  which 
naturally  caused  my  eyes  to  follow  it,  as  his  attention 
seemed  centered  on  the  envelope  and  it  appeared  to 


HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  47 

occupy  the  stage  of  action.  This  move  was  executed 
in  a  moment,  not  requiring  any  time  worth  mentioning, 
although  it  takes  so  long  to  describe  it  on  paper  in- 
telligibly. Now  while  his  eyes  (and  of  course  mine) 
followed  the  envelope,  zuithotit  pause  his  left  hand 
went  into  his  left  pocket  in  a  natural  manner  to  get  the 
match.  He,  of  course,  left  my  slip  in  his  pocket  with 
his  surplus  matches ;  and  when  he  retired  for  the  drink 
of  water,  he  read  my  question. 

As  to  the  slate  trick,  all  was  fair  until  he  picked  up 
the  top  slate,  wrote  an  automatic  message,  apparently 
read  it  aloud  to  me,  and  then  upon  my  informing  him 
that  the  message  did  not  answer  my  question,  he 
seemed  dissatisfied,  apparently  erased  the  message,  and 
replaced  the  large  slate  on  top  of  the  stack  of  slates. 
What  he  really  did  was  to  pick  up  the  large  top  slate, 
bottom  side  towards  himself,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
carry  zvith  it  a  small  slate  pressed  tightly  against  its 
under  side.  He  held  the  large  slate  with  its  under  side 
tilted  from  me,  so  I  could  not  see  this  small  slate. 
There  being  so  many  small  slates  in  the  stack,  the 
temporary  absence  of  one  from  the  stack  attracted  no 
notice. 

He  kept  this  small  slate  next  to  him  out  of  my  view, 
and  really  wrote  the  message  on  the  small  slate  zvhich 
was  next  to  him,  and  which  zvas  concealed  from  my 
view  by  the  larger  slate.  He  did  not  read  aloud  what 
he  had  actually  written  but  merely  pretended  to  do  so, 
repeating  something  entirely  foreign  to  the  subject 
instead.  What  he  had  written  really  answered  my 
question  fully.  When  he  appeared  to  erase  the  mes- 
sage, his  movements  were  but  a  pretense ;  and  he  did 
not  erase  it  at  all.     When  he  replaced  the  large  slate 


48  HALF   HOURS  WITH    MEDIUMS. 

on  the  stack  of  slates,  he,  of  course,  replaced  the  small 
one  which  was  concealed  under  it,  message  side  down. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  operator,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  slate  trick,  first  took  up  and  examined 
the  large  slate  a  time  or  so  for  a  message ;  and  finding 
none,  seemed  disappointed,  and  finally  wrote  the  auto- 
matic message ;  then  on  being  informed  that  it  did  not 
apply  to  the  case,  he  seemed  dissatisfied  and  appeared 
to  erase  it. 

After  the  message  was  written  and  the  slates  re- 
placed, he  examined  the  top  slate  a  time  or  so,  and  even 
lifted  ofif  a  few  small  slates  looking  for  writing,  but  did 
not  turn  them  over ;  then  seeing  nothing,  he  scattered 
the  slates  around  on  the  table,  leaving  their  same  sides 
downwards;  and  handing  me  the  cover,  he  requested 
me  to  cover  them  and  place  my  hands  on  them. 

The  trick  was  now  practically  done.  As  the  slates 
had  been  examined  so  many  times  and  nothing  found 
on  them,  even  after  the  automatic  zvriting,  the  majority 
of  persons  would  testify  that  there  was  positively  noth- 
ing on  the  slates  when  the  medium  left  the  table.  The 
majority  of  persons  would  never  remember  that  he  at 
one  time  wrote  on  the  large  slate  and  erased  it.  The 
message  being  on  a  small  slate,  and  these  being  spread 
around,  few  would  have  known  that  this  message 
really  appeared  on  the  particular  small  slate  that  was 
originally  next  the  top  of  the  stack. 

Most  people  would  have  certified  that  they  cleaned 
all  of  the  slates  themselves,  that  the  medium  never 
touched  any  of  the  small  ones,  and  that  he  only  laid 
his  hands  on  top  of  the  stack  a  few  times.  Some  would 
even  forget  that  the  medium  handled  their  writing  at 
all  before  burning  it. 

I  am  sure  that  the  nickeled  tube  that  carried  the 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  49 

dripping  water  into  the  space  over  the  glass  bowl,  had 
a  second  tube  within  it;  through  which  his  assistant 
from  the  adjoining  room  either  blew,  or  sent  by  some 
mechanism,  the  chemicals  (probably  potassium)  that 
would  take  fire  and  burn  on  striking  the  water. 


When  I  perform  the  slate  trick  described  above, 
after  writing  the  "automatic"  message,  apparently 
erasing  it,  and  replacing  the  slates,  I  do  not  scatter  the 
slates  around  on  the  table  as  this  medium  did.  In- 
stead, I  proceed  as  I  will  now  describe. 

We  place  our  palms  on  the  stack,  and  after  a  time 
examine  the  large  slate  for  a  message,  but  find  none. 
I  may  incidentally  remark  that  this  last  examination 
unconsciously  verifies  in  the  sitter's  mind  the  fact  that 
I  actually  erased  what  I  wrote  "automatically." 

I  now  look  on  some  of  the  smaller  slates  for  a 
message,  but  find  none.  When  I  do  this  I  do  not  turn 
these  slates  over  and  look  on  their  under  sides,  but 
merely  take  off  the  top  slate  to  see  if  there  be  a  mes- 
sage on  the  upper  surface  of  the  one  under  it.  I 
merely  remark,  "Well,  there  is  nothing  on  that  slate," 
indicating  the  second  one  from  the  top;  and  at  the 
same  time  I  drop  the  top  slate  (now  in  my  hand)  on 
the  table  beside  the  stack.  I  immediately  take  oflf  the 
second  slate  and  repeat  this  same  performance,  drop- 
ping it  on  top  of  the  first  one.  I  keep  on  with  this 
performance  until  I  have  removed  four  or  five  of  the 
slates,  and  have  them  stacked  in  a  second  stack  beside 
the  first  one.  Then  seeming  to  grow  discouraged,  I 
remark,  "I  guess  there  is  no  message" ;  and  I  replace 
the  second  stack  on  the  first  stack.  This  places  the 
message  slate  four  or  five  slates  down  in  the  stack ; 


50  HALF   HOURS  WITH    MEDIUMS. 

as  the  bottom  slate  of  the  second  stack,  being  the  top 
slate  of  the  original  stack,  is  now  the  message  slate. 

I  next  up-edge  the  small  slates  and  place  a  rubber 
band  around  them  placing  them  in  the  sitter's  lap.  I, 
of  course,  place  what  was  the  top  of  the  stack  down- 
wards when  I  do  so.  As  the  stack  is  on  the  side  edges 
of  the  slates  when  I  first  up-edge  them,  I  next  bring 
them  upon  the  end  edges,  while  I  put  the  band  in  place. 
It  is  now  easy  to  place  the  stack  of  slates  upon  the  sit- 
ter's lap  with  the  top  slate  down  and  to  attract  no 
notice  to  this  fact.  This  is  because  the  position  has 
been  changed  a  time  or  so  in  placing  the  band  on ;  and 
I  then  take  the  stack  in  my  hands  by  the  edges  of  the 
slates,  and  simply  place  what  was  the  top  side  of  the 
stack  in  the  beginning,  at  the  bottom. 

In  due  time  I  tell  the  subject  to  make  an  examination 
for  a  message,  and  of  course  four  or  five  slates  down 
he  finds  a  message  on  the  upper  surface  of  one  of  the 
slates. 

This  seems  very  miraculous,  as  the  slates  have  been 
so  repeatedly  examined  and  nothing  found.  Finding 
the  message  on  the  upper  surface  of  a  middle  slate, 
where  but  a  moment  before  there  was  nothing,  seems 
to  be  truly  a  marvel.  The  subject  having  cleaned  and 
stacked  these  slates  himself,  and  having  seen  them 
examined  so  many  times,  naturally  feels  impressed  that 
the  message  comes  by  some  super-human  power. 

VIII. 

There  is  a  lady  medium  in  Omaha  who  is  the  wife  of 
a  prominent  citizen.  She  is  afflicted,  being  nearly  blind. 
This  lady,  in  her  seances,  produces  large  quantities  of 
cut  flowers,  which  she  claims  to  materialize  from  their 
"astral  forms."    Most  persons  would  think  that  a  lady 


HALF   HOURS  WITH    MEDIUMS.  $1 

of  her  standing,  and  afflicted  in  the  manner  she  is, 
would  not  deceive. 

The  ladies  at  her  seances  are  allowed  to  thoroughly 
examine  her  clothing,  her  cabinet  and  the  room ;  and 
when  nothing  suspicious  is  found  she  enters  her  cab- 
inet in  full  light,  and  as  she  materializes  the  flowers 
she  passes  them  out  over  the  cabinet  top. 

I  have  never  witnessed  one  of  her  seances  myself, 
but  I  have  talked  to  several  who  have  done  so.  They 
are  almost  all  firm  believers.  The  flowers  are  nature's 
own  production,  and  have  nature's  sap  within  them. 
They  are  composed  of  cells  formed  by  growth,  the 
same  as  other  plants.  All  of  this  can  be  verified  under 
the  microscope.  The  spirits  claim  to  dematerialize 
these  flowers  and  bring  the  "astral  forms"  of  them 
through  space ;  and  then  through  the  occult  powers  of 
the  medium,  they  are  enabled  to  materialize  them  again 
for  the  benefit  of  unbelieving  mortals. 

I  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  her  flowers  are 
furnished  by  a  greenhouse  in  Council  Bluffs.  Some 
years  ago  before  the  medium  was  afflicted  by  fail- 
ing eyesight,  and  when  she  was  a  widow,  mediumship 
was  her  profession.  She  was  known  as  Madam  — . 
and  had  rooms  where  she  held  seances  for  a  livelihood. 
At  that  time  she  did  not  work  from  a  cabinet  in  the 
light,  but  in  a  bare,  unfurnished  room,  with  lights  out. 

She  would  allow  her  clothing  to  be  examined  by 
the  ladies,  and  would  then,  after  the  lights  were  low- 
ered, walk  about  within  the  circle  and  produce  flowers, 
presenting  them  to  different  individuals  with  a  suit- 
able message.  My  friend,  the  advertising  agent,  at- 
tended some  of  these  seances.  He  noticed  that  the 
medium,  after  producing  a  number  of  flowers,  would 
invariably  return  to  a  certain  position  in  the  room; 


52  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

after  which  she  would  produce  some  more  flowers. 
She  always  did  this  in  the  same  manner ;  so  he  began 
to  notice  who  sat  in  the  position  to  which  she  always 
returned. 

He  found  a  lady  there  who  was  the  wife  of  a  certain 
sleight-of-hand  performer  of  this  city.  This  lady  sat 
between  the  servant  of  the  medium  and  the  medium's 
daughter  in  all  cases.  He  became  convinced  that  these 
parties  were  the  confederates  of  the  medium  and  that 
the  flowers  were  concealed  under  the  skirts  of  the 
middle  lady. 

Accordingly,  one  time,  in  conversation  with  this 
confederate,  he  spoke  of  her  "smooth  work,"  just  as 
if  he  knew  it  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  confederate 
then  said,  "Did  Madam  —  tell  you?"  and  laughed. 
She  confessed  that  she  had  a  large  pocket  under  her 
skirt  running  around  like  a  sack,  in  which  were  the 
flowers.  When  the  confederate  entered  the  room  the 
medium  invariably  began  her  seance  at  once,  so  as  to 
keep  any  one  from  noticing  the  fulness  of  the  con- 
federate's skirts. 

My  friend  had  also  noticed  that  when  the  spectators 
were  few,  flowers  were  numerous;  and  that  when 
there  were  a  large  number  of  spectators  the  flowers 
were  scarce.  This  first  led  him  to  suspect  that  she 
had  always  the  same  quantity,  and  that  she  always 
exhausted  her  stock,  as  the  flowers  were  perishable 
property. 

One  day  this  friend  was  in  the  medium's  rooms 
when  a  messenger  boy  arrived  with  a  basket  of  the 
regulation  flowers.  They  were  from  Council  Bluffs. 
My  friend  looked  at  the  medium  and  smiled.  She  re- 
turned the  smile  and  remarked,  "Can  you  keep  a  se- 
cret ?"    She  was  evidently  going  to  confide  in  him ;  but 


HALF   HOURS   WITH   MEDIUMS.  53 

just  then  there  appeared  a  caller  for  a  private  reading, 
and  the  opportunity  passed.  When  she  rturned  to  the 
room,  she  seemed  to  have  changed  her  mind,  and  noth- 
ing was  said. 

I  think  she  uses  no  confederate  in  her  present  home, 
as  she  now  works  in  full  light ;  but  I  feel  confident  that 
a  trap  could  be  found  in  the  walls  or  base  board  be- 
hind her  cabinet.  It  is  probably  constructed  some- 
thing like  one  I  describe  in  the  chapter  on  material- 
izing. If  this  be  the  case  and  it  be  well  made,  it  might 
be  difficult  to  locate  the  secret  latch  that  opens  it. 

I  may  incidentally  mention  that  the  son  of  this  lady 
confederate  afterwards  became  a  medium  of  some  re- 
nown. He  learned  under  a  traveling  professional  me- 
dium, and  grew  to  be  very  expert.  He  is  out  over  the 
world,  now  following  his  profession.  I  know  the  town 
wherein  he  is  now  wintering,  as  a  clairvoyant  and 
trance  medium. 

The  lady  medium  described  above,  operated  in  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  for  a  long  time. 

IX. 

In  the  spiritualistic  part  of  the  realm  of  trickery, 
fashion  has  played  a  not  unimportant  role.  As  soon 
as  the  first  mediums  could  induce  the  spirits  of  the 
departed  to  return  to  this  earth  and  rap  on  tables  and 
furniture,  the  fashion  rapidly  spread  and  mediums  all 
over  the  country  sprang  up  with  exactly  these  same 
powers.  The  fashion  remains  to  this  day ;  although 
there  is  a  book  on  the  market,  being  a  confession  of 
one  of  the  founders  of  this  religion,  to  the  effect  that 
her  work  was  fraudulent.  As  soon  as  a  leading  me- 
dium spoke  of  his  magnetic  powers,  all  of  the  mediums 
in  the  country  had  magnetic  powers,  which,  strange 


54  HALF   HOURS  WITH    MEDIUMS. 

to  say,  could  act  on  wood,  and  could  also  act  in  ways 
in  which  magnetism  was  never  known  to  act. 

As  soon  as  a  leading  medium  started  the  fashion  of 
having  an  Indian  guide,  all  of  the  mediums  in  the 
country  had  Indian  guides.  Unto  this  day  this  fashion 
is  still  in  vogue.  Some  mediums  now  have  as  manv 
as  forty  or  fifty  guides.  This  is  more  especially  true 
among  the  non-professional  mediums— those  who  really 
can  give  no  tests,  as  they  are  not  versed  in  the  art  of 
trickery.  At  some  of  the  materializing  seances  of  a 
certain  medium,  as  he  relates  it  to  me,  one  of  the  most 
amusing  features  is  the  frequent  disputes  and  quarrels 
of  this  class  of  persons  over  certain  guides  which  he 
materializes,  and  which  each  claims  as  his  own. 

The  next  fashion  was  the  dark  seance.  This  always 
seemed  so  unreasonable  to  me,  and  such  evidence  of 
trickery,  that  I  have  always  been  surprised  that  other- 
wise intelligent  persons  could  give  credence  to  such 
performances.  I  have  refrained  from  describing  any 
of  the  tricks  of  this  class  heretofore,  as  I  did  not  con- 
sider them  of  sufficient  importance  to  justify  any  at- 
tention. However,  a  recent  occurrence  of  this  kind 
came  under  my  notice,  and  I  found  the  effect  so  great 
on  persons  of  some  education,  that  I  have  decided  to 
give  my  experience  of  the  case  to  the  readers  of  this 
book. 

One  evening,  not  so  very  long  ago,  just  as  I  was 
about  to  retire  for  the  night,  my  door  bell  rang;  and 
I  found  some  ladies  at  my  door.  I  knew  one  of  them, 
and  she  explained  the  lateness  of  the  call  by  saying 
that  a  party  of  friends  and  herself  had  been  discussing 
occult  phenomena,  and  that  she  had  mentioned  the 
fact  that  I  possessed  a  crystal  globe  for  crystal  gazing. 
Immediately  all  of  the  ladies  were  full  of  enthusiasm, 


HALF    HOURS    WITH    MEDIUMS.  55 

and  she  could  get  no  peace  until  she  brought  them  to 
me. 

I  found  that  these  ladies  had,  a  day  or  so  previously, 
called  on  a  couple  of  mediums  in  the  neighboring  city 
of  Council  Bluffs ;  and  that  they  there  had  had  a  most 
marvelous  experience.  Each  of  the  ladies  had  a  sitting 
with  the  lady  medium ;  and  as  their  experiences  were 
similar,  I  will  relate  the  experience  of  one,  a  Mrs. 
C — ,  as  related  to  me. 

This  lady  is  a  business  woman  of  Omaha,  is  pos- 
sessed of  considerable  means,  and  moves  in  high  so- 
ciety. They  had  journeyed  to  the  neighboring  town 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  new  mediums  of  whom 
they  had  heard,  and  they  went  into  the  presence  of 
these  mediums  absolute  strangers. 

The  lady  medium  took  this  lady  into  a  small  room 
where  absolute  darkness  reigned,  and  had  a  sitting 
with  her  under  test  conditions ;  that  is,  the  lady  placed 
her  toes  on  the  medium's  toes,  her  knees  against  the 
medium's  knees,  and  she  thought  that  she  held  the 
medium's  hands;  thus  making  it  impossible  for  the 
medium  to  move  without  her  discovering  it. 

I  should  have  said  that  the  room  was  lighted  until 
she  and  the  medium  took  their  positions,  after  which 
her  friends  turned  out  the  lights  and  retired  to  an  ad- 
joining room  where  they  faithfully  guarded  the  me- 
dium's husband. 

Now  these  ladies  had  heard  of  tricks  being  per- 
formed, and  were  consequently  on  their  guard ;  and 
they  watched  all  so  closely,  that  there  was  absolutely 
no  possibility  of  trickery. 

Soon  after  the  lights  were  put  out,  the  medium 
passed  into  a  trance  state,  while  the  sitter  securely 
held  her.     Soon  the  sitter  felt  a  breeze  pass  over  Ler 


56  HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

face  as  if  an  invisible  hand  had  passed  in  front  of  it; 
and  then  she  heard  raps  on  her  chair,  on  an  adjoining 
piece  of  furniture,  and  in  fact  all  around  her.  Next, 
something  touched  her  on  the  head  and  person  lightly, 
and  almost  frightened  her  to  death.  Meanwhile  the 
medium  was  talking  and  describing,  for  the  sitter's 
identification,  certain  spirits  that  were  present. 

Among  the  things  that  occurred,  there  floated  into 
the  lap  of  the  sitter  a  letter  C.  It  was  softly  luminous, 
and  the  medium  stated  that  this  was  the  first  letter  of 
the  lady's  name,  which  was  correct.  Numerous  soft, 
hazy  lights  floated  about  her;  and  a  tin  trumpet  that 
stood  close  by  floated  into  the  air,  passing  over  the 
sitter's  head  and  giving  it  a  bump,  after  which  voices 
issued  from  the  trumpet. 

One  of  the  most  astonishing  things  the  medium  did, 
was  to  inform  the  lady  of  an  important  secret  in  her 
past  life,  of  which  no  one  in  this  city  knew.  It  was 
one  of  those  family  secrets,  such  as  are  in  many  fam- 
ilies, and  it  was  deeply  buried  from  the  public  gaze. 
She  said  she  had  not  thought  of  this  secret  for  a  long 
time,  and  that  this  medium  gave  it  to  her  in  the  most 
marvelous  fashion.  As  I  suggested  that  the  medium 
possibly  led  her  to  make  remarks  from  which  she  di- 
vined the  knowledge  of  this  secret,  she  was  very  cer- 
tain that  the  medium  had  done  nothing  of  the  kind. 

One  of  the  ladies,  a  v/riter  for  a  daily  paper  here — 
had  become  greatly  frightened  during  her  sitting,  and 
had  felt  herself  leaving  her  own  body ;  and  she  could 
see  her  body  standing  by  her,  and  she  became  so 
frightened  that  she  discontinued  the  seance. 

I  laughed  at  these  stories,  and  told  them  of  some  of 
the  tricks  of  mediums ;  and  even  showed  them  a  screen 
covered  with  luminous  paint,  which  shines  beautifully 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  57 

in  the  dark.  They  then  confessed  that  the  lights  which 
the  medium  produced,  might  have  been  a  trick ;  and 
when  I  told  the  first  lady  of  the  artificial  hands  some- 
times used,  she  was  not  so  positive  as  to  whether  she 
had  held  the  medium's  hands  or  whether  the  medium 
had  held  hers.  She,  however,  was  certain  that  one  of 
them  held  her  hands  on  top  of  the  others,  and  that 
there  was  no  artificial  hand  used  as  the  temperature 
was  that  of  a  living  person.  I  explained  that  this 
might  even  be  the  case,  if  the  hand  had  been  concealed 
for  some  time  in  the  lady's  clothing.  She  then  con- 
fessed that  she  had  noticed  a  button  in  the  front  of 
the  medium's  dress,  which  was  unbuttoned  when  the 
lights  were  turned  up ;  and  that  the  medium  quickly 
closed  it. 

She  insisted  that  the  inexplicable  part  of  it  all  was 
how  the  medium  had  discovered  her  secret.  She  said, 
"It  must  be  spirits,  or  else  it  is  mind-reading."  I 
said,  "I  will  show  you  something,  myself,  if  you  will 
step  into  an  adjoining  room."  I  handed  her  a  sheet 
of  paper  with  six  lines  drawn  across  it,  and  requested 
her  to  write  a  name  in  each  space ;  all  to  be  names  of 
living  persons  but  one,  which  was  to  be  the  name  of 
a  dead  person.  As  soon  as  she  did  this,  I  cut  them 
apart,  as  described  elsewhere  in  this  work,  and  folded 
them  into  billets. 

When  she  placed  these  in  a  hollow  skull  and  held 
them  under  the  table,  I  directed  her  to  throw  them  on 
the  table  one  at  a  time ;  and,  of  course,  when  she  threw 
the  one  on  which  was  the  name  of  the  dead  person, 
I  told  her  this  was  the  dead  one's  name,  and  read  it 
for  her  without  looking  at  it. 

I  also  had  her  write  down  a  number  of  places  and 
diseases,  among  which  was  the  place  of  her  friend*s 


58  HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

death  and  the  disease  of  which  she  died.  I  then  told 
her  the  correct  ones,  where  and  of  which,  her  friend 
died,  this  trick  being  the  same  as  performed  by  the 
great  medium  Schlessinger. 

This  seemed  to  dumbfound  her ;  and  then  I  gave 
her  a  couple  of  slates  to  examine,  and  proceeded  to 
perform  one  of  several  slate  tricks  with  which  I  am 
familiar.  When  she  found  a  message  on  these  slates 
which  had  not  left  her  sight  at  all,  and  after  examining 
them  thoroughly,  she  concluded  that  she  was  not  ca- 
pable of  discerning  between  trickery  and  genuine  phe- 
nomena. However,  she  and  her  friends  insisted  that 
I  see  this  medium  when  she  should  later  come  to 
Omaha,  and  still  seemed  so  greatly  impressed  with 
her  that  I  readily  promised. 

A  short  time  after  this  evening,  I  received  a  tele- 
phone call  from  this  lady,  announcing  that  this  medium 
and  her  husband  were  in  town  and  were  not  yet  lo- 
cated. I  accordingly  extended  them  the  hospitality 
of  my  home  over  Sunday,  and  invited  the  aforesaid 
ladies  with  some  ethers  to  call  that  evening. 

The  mediums  arrived  at  my  home  in  due  time,  and 
in  looking  over  my  paintings  and  pictures,  ran  across 
a  couple  of  photographs  of  myself  performing  a  de- 
capitation act.  This  w^as  their  first  inkling  that  I  was 
a  performer.  Next,  they  happened  to  mention  the  name 
of  a  certain  dealer  in  tricks  for  mediums,  but  they  did 
not  speak  of  him  in  this  capacity,  but  in  the  capacity 
of  a  medium  instead.  I  did  not  know  that  this  gentle- 
man ever  traveled  as  a  medium  himself,  and  so  stated  ; 
but  they  insisted  that  he  had.  Whether  they  be  right 
or  not  as  to  this,  I  do  not  know ;  but  I  showed  my 
knowledge  of  him,  and  the  address  of  his  firm,  where- 


HALF   HOURS    WITH    MEDIUMS.  59 

Upon  the  gentleman  asked  me  if  I  had  seen  his  cata- 
logue. I  replied  that  I  had  it  and  that  I  was  a  performer 
of  many  tricks  and  could  give  him  some  valuable  in- 
struction if  he  desired.  This  put  him  entirely  at  his 
ease  and  he  seemed  to  regard  me  as  a  member  of  the 
profession ;  and  from  this  time  on  he  talked  openly 
of  the  work,  the  various  tricks,  and  the  tricks  of  the 
many  mediums  over  the  country  whom  he  knew  quite 
well.  He  spoke  of  the  *'Camp"  in  Indiana  and  of  the 
mediums  he  had  met  there,  and  told  many  amusing 
anecdotes. 

We  put  in  the  afternoon  instructing  each  other,  and 
he  showed  me  a  neat  billet  and  slate  test  that  he  and 
his  wife  used,  and  also  described  his  materializing 
work  in  a  laughable  manner.  He  seemed  to  have  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  methods  by  which  two  of 
Chicago's  most  celebrated  mediums  produce  their  spirit 
paintings,  etc.,  etc.  .  He  however  all  along  insisted 
that  although  he  had  this  knowledge  of  trickery, 
(which  he  could  not  well  avoid,  traveling  around  in 
this  business  as  he  did),  that  his  wife  was  a  genuine 
medium.  He  openly  acknowledged  his  materializing 
was  a  smooth  trick,  but  said  that  to  make  a  living  in 
this  business,  certain  tricks  were  a  necessity.  He  in- 
sisted on  the  marvelous  powers  of  his  wife,  however, 
and  it  was  evident  that  they  intended  to  perform  for 
me  and  leave  me  in  the  dark  on  this  part  of  the  ques- 
tion. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark  I  repaired  to  a  dark  room 
and  took  a  seat  with  the  lady.  She  placed  a  slate  on 
her  lap  for  me  to  place  my  palms  on,  and  asked  me  to 
place  the  two  palms  closely  together  allowing  my 
thumbs  to  contact  each  other  their  entire  length.  She 
now  said,  *'Mr.  Abbott,  I  will  place  my  hands  on  yours 


6o  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

in  this  manner."  As  she  said  this  she  placed  a  palm 
on  each  of  my  hands,  and  then  she  said,  "If  I  should 
lift  either  hand  you  could  tell  it,  could  you  not?"  She 
illustrated  this  by  alternately  lifting  either  hand.  I 
was  sure  I  could  tell  if  either  were  removed,  and  I 
informed  her  to  that  effect. 

The  lights  were  now  put  out  and  I  took  my  position 
with  the  medium's  knees  between  mine,  and  my  palms 
on  the  slate.  She  again  placed  her  palms  on  the  backs 
of  my  hands  and  asked  me  if  I  could  tell  if  she  re- 
moved either  one.  She  illustrated  this  again  by  lift- 
ing either  palm  and  replacing  it.  This  she  did  two  or 
three  times.  I  noted  this  and  remembered  it.  She 
now  replaced  her  palms,  and  I  was  quite  sure  that  she 
did  not  use  an  artificial  hand;  for  I  felt  the  fingers 
move  on  the  backs  of  each  of  my  hands  in  so  lifelike 
a  manner  as  to  disprove  the  idea  that  either  hand  was 
artificial. 

She  now  went  into  her  trance,  and  first  felt  the  in- 
fluence of  a  lady  whom  she  described  very  accurately. 
The  description  fitted  my  mother  very  well,  and  did 
not  fit  any  other  relative  that  I  know  who  might  be 
dead.  However,  as  my  mother  is  alive,  I  said  nothing 
and  thus  did  not  lead  her  on.  I  must  confess  that  my 
natural  impulse  was  to  reply  to  her  statements,  which 
she  gave  Die  with  such  a  rising  iniiection,  as  to  he 
really  asking  me  a  question ;  although  the  mere  words 
indicated  a  positive  statement  on  her  part  instead  of 
a  question.  I  was  familiar  with  this  manner  of  "fish- 
ing" and  of  course  I  did  not  respond.  I  have  since 
learned  from  my  wife  that  the  lady  saw  my  mother's 
picture  during  the  afternoon,  but  she  was  given  no 
information  about  her. 

She  soon  dropped  this  spirit  and  brought  up  that  of 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  6l 

a  little  child ;  then  she  introduced  a  second  child,  and 
said  that  she  took  them  to  be  my  own.  There  was 
another  rising  inflection  in  this  statement,  and  this 
time  I  decided  to  break  my  silence,  but  to  remember 
what  I  should  say.  I  therefore  informed  her  that  I 
had  never  had  any  children.  She  immediately  said, 
"Then  it  is  a  brother;"  and  I  said,  "Yes."  This 
statement  was  pretty  safe  on  her  part,  for  there  are 
few  families  in  which  there  is  not  a  dead  brother. 

Had  I  not  been  versed  in  trickery  I  can  readily  see 
how  much  information  I  would  have  given  her,  for  I 
had  to  continually  guard  my  own  tongue ;  as  her  ques- 
tions, or  more  correctly  her  statements  with  a  rising 
iniiection,  were  worded  so  adroitly  and  came  so  rap- 
idly. While  this  was  going  on  I  felt  some  light  touches 
on  my  person,  face,  head,  etc. ;  and  not  expecting 
them,  I  started  suddenly  when  I  felt  them.  The 
touches  were  very  short  in  duration,  what  a  musician 
would  call  "staccato."  They  were  also  very  light. 
Soon  raps  appeared  on  an  adjoining  bed,  and  she 
proceeded  to  ask  the  spirits  the  questions  about  me, 
and  the  raps  replied. 

The  questions  were  so  worded  that  I  could  surmise 
that  it  was  intended  that  I  should  answer  them  also. 
In  fact,  it  is  natural  to  reply  to  statements  given  with 
a  rising  inflection,  and  the  uninitiated  would  have 
done  so. 

Sometimes  I  decided  to  humor  her  and  I  made  a 
reply.  When  such  was  the  case  I  found  that  the  raps 
would  answer  so  quickly,  with  me,  or  rather  after  me, 
as  to  appear  to  be  simultaneous  with  me.  However, 
I  saw  plainly  that  they  followed  my  own  answers ;  but 
so  very  quickly  that  to  the  uninitiated  they  would  have 
appeared  to  be  simultaneous  with,  or  even  ahead  of 


62  HALF  HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS. 

one's  own  answers.  This  effect  is  due  to  the  way  the 
answers  attract  the  attention  so  strongly,  coming  in 
such  a  mysterious  manner,  that  I  was  tempted  to  for- 
get I  had  answered  the  questions.  I  am  sure  persons 
in  general  would  have  forgotten  this  fact,  for  they 
would  have  been  so  much  more  impressed  with  the 
performance  and  startled,  that  they  would  have  been 
laboring  under  strong  excitement ;  whereas  I  was  per- 
fectly cool,  knowing  it  was  a  trick.  There  is  much 
difference  in  the  effect  when  one  knows  such  a  thing 
is  a  trick,  and  does  not  think  some  supernatural  agency 
is  at  work. 

Meanwhile  I  saw  a  soft  luminous  light  floating 
about,  and  voices  came  through  the  trumpet  which 
bumped  about  the  room.  Raps  came  on  my  chair  and 
during  all  this  time  she  never  ceased  to  "pump''  for 
information. 

Now  at  first  I  was  a  trifle  startled,  for  I  felt  that  she 
had  not  removed  either  hand;  but  my  common  sense 
soon  told  me  that  she  had,  and  that  her  left  hand,  which 
was  a  large  one,  rested  one-half  on  each  of  my  hands; 
that  at  the  last  moment,  before  starting  the  tests,  she 
had  placed  her  hand  in  this  position,  keeping  her  right 
hand  free.  She  had  apparently  raised  a  palm  from  the 
hack  of  each  hand,  by  merely  tilting  up,  the  side  of  her 
left  hand  which  touched  one  of  my  hands  allowing  the 
other  side  of  it  to  remain  in  contact  with  my  other 
hand,  and  remarking,  "You  can  feel  when  I  take  this 
one  away,  can  you?"  She  then  tilted  up  the  other 
side  making  the  same  remark. 

I  knew  that  she  was  touching  me,  and  making  the 
raps  with  her  free  hand ;  and  that  she  did  the  talking 
in  the  trumpet;  and  also  that  the  lights  were  a  piece 
of  gauzy  silk  dyed  with  a  preparation  containing  "Bal- 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  63 

main's  Luminous  Paint."  I  was  surprised  at  the  illu- 
sion to  the  sense  of  touch,  for  it  felt  precisely  as  if 
both  her  hands  rested  on  mine.  If  any  of  my  readers 
will  try  this  on  any  of  their  friends  in  the  dark  and  not 
explain  the  secret  to  them,  they  will  find  the  illusion 
is  perfect.  It  only  requires  boldness.  There  is  no 
one,  to  whom  this  is  unknown,  who  can  tell  in  the 
dark  that  two  hands  do  not  rest  on  the  backs  of  his 
hands.  The  subject  must  of  course  place  the  two 
palms  very  closely  together,  allowing  his  thumbs  to 
contact  each  other  their  entire  length. 

Having  failed  to  give  me  any  information  of  a  start- 
ling nature,  owing  to  her  inability  to  excite  me  and 
cause  me  to  unconsciously  lead  her  on,  she  now  told 
me  to  ask  for  any  one  I  desired  and  she  would  see  if 
they  would  come.  I  asked  for  William  J — ,  a  friend 
who  had  died  recently.  She  said,  "He  is  here  but  I 
can  not  see  his  face  plainly.  It  seems  that  he  passed 
out  suddenly.  It  seems  as  if  an  accident  had  hap- 
pened?" This  was  given  with  a  rising  inflection.  As 
I  made  no  reply  she  remarked,  "Anyway,  he  passed 
out  suddenly." 

My  friend  had  died  of  typhoid  fever,  after  a  week 
or  ten  days  of  great  suffering.  It  is  true  that  the  dis- 
ease struck  him  with  great  violence  in  a  sudden  man- 
ner, but  I  did  not  get  excited  and  try  to  apply  her  re- 
mark to  the  facts  of  the  case. 

She  next  remarked,  "He  was  not  a  musician."  I  do 
not  know  what  prompted  this  remark,  unless  it  be  that 
she  had  discovered  that  I  am  a  musician,  and  play 
several  instruments.  She  made  this  remark  in  a  man- 
ner that  seemed  to  expect  an  answer,  but  as  I  made 
none,  she  said,  "No,  he  was  no  musician." 

Now,  the  facts  are,  my  friend  was  a  musician,  play- 


64  HALF  HOURS  WITH    MEDIUMS. 

ing  both  cornet  and  piano  well.  Among  my  treasures 
is  a  phonograph  record  of  a  cornet  and  clarinet  duet 
which  we  played  together  at  one  time.  I  however  said 
nothing  of  this  that  would  help  her  out;  but  I  then 
fully  realized  how  natural  it  would  have  been  for  the 
average  investigator  to  have  given  her  pointers  enough 
to  prevent  her  making  this  error. 

She  next  said,  "Yes,  he  passed  out  suddenly,  and 
seems  to  regret  something,  as  if  he  left  it  undone,  or 
unsettled."  I  made  no  reply,  and  she  said,  "As  if  he 
had  left  something  unpaid,  you  undersand?"  I  de- 
termined to  humor  her  and  I  said,  "Something  which 
he  owed  me?"  I  said  this  as  if  she  had  struck  a  re- 
sponsive chord,  and  she  said,  "Yes,  that  is  it:  It  was 
what  he  owed  you.    He  says  this  is  his  one  regret." 

Now,  I  will  state  that  I  do  not  believe  my  friend 
ever  owed  any  debts ;  and  I  am  sure  that  he  never 
owed  anything  to  me,  and  that  he  left  nothing  unpaid. 
He  was  a  very  honorable  and  upright  young  man. 

I  next  asked  for  a  young  lady,  Georgia  C — .  She 
seemed  to  think  this  was  a  gentleman ;  and  she  spoke 
of  her  in  the  masculine  gender  and  proceeded  to  call 
"him"  up  and  remarked  on  the  suddenness  of  "his" 
demise.  I  did  not  respond  and  she  dropped  this  spirit. 
I  may  mention  that  the  young  lady  also  died  of  typhoid 
fever  after  a  long  illness. 

She  next  said,  "I  can  see  an  accident  as  of  a  wreck. 
I  see  it  affects  you  in  some  way,  and  I  think  others 
also.  It  either  has  happened  or  is  to  happen."  I  made 
no  response  and  she  said,  "Were  you  ever  in  a  wreck  ?" 
and  as  I  was  slow  in  replying,  she  added,  "Or  anything 
of  the  kind?" 

I  replied,  "Yes,  I  was  in  something  of  the  kind." 
In  fact  I  had  been  in  two  serious  accidents  with  horses. 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  6$ 

At  one  time  while  riding  a  bicycle,  I  was  struck  by  a 
runaway  horse  which  ran  directly  over  me ;  and  there 
is  yet  a  slight  injury  on  my  breast  from  it.  At  another 
time  I  was  thown  from  a  buggy  in  a  runaway,  and  was 
totally  unconscious  for  half  an  hour;  and  then  after 
the  return  of  my  reason,  was  totally  without  memory 
for  a  period  of  one  and  one-half  hours.  I  could  reason 
on  my  condition,  but  by  no  effort  could  I  recall  my 
name,  or  by  searching  my  mind  find  the  least  glimpse 
of  memory.  My  reason  was  perfectly  clear,  and  I 
plainly  recollect  my  striving  to  remember  who  and 
where  I  was.  I  remember  that  my  first  thought  on 
the  return  of  reason  was  the  bearing  this  experience 
had  on  the  possibility  of  a  future  life,  after  the  death 
of  the  body.  This  incident  is  of  great  interest  to  me 
yet,  but  is  out  of  place  here,  so  I  will  not  disgress 
further. 

I  have  had  other  accidents,  so  I  could  not  tell  to 
which  one  she  referred;  but  I  acknowledged  an  acci- 
dent resembling  a  wreck.  She  said,  "You  had  a  nar- 
row escape?"  I  replied,  ''Yes."  She  then  said,  "You 
still  have  a  scar  or  something  on  your  person  as  a 
memento  of  this  ?"  I  replied  that  I  did ;  however,  there 
is  no  scar,  but  there  is  a  slight  enlargement  over  a  rib 
where  the  hoof  struck  me.  I  could  easily  have  said 
a  few  words,  and  she  would  have  given  me  the  details ; 
but  I  only  gave  her  as  many  pointers  as  I  herein  de- 
scribe. She  said,  "I  believe  this  was  with  horses  some 
way,"  and  I  replied,  "Yes  it  was."  However  she  could 
have  inferred  this  from  the  surprise  in  my  voice  when 
I  repeated  after  her  the  words,  "A  wreck?"  with  a 
rising  inflection  when  she  first  mentioned  the  accident. 
All  persons  have  had  accidents,  and  it  is  only  for  a 
medium  to  start  the  subject  and  "pump"  out  of  the 


66  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

sitter  the  details,  after  which  the  usual  sitter  will  think 
the  medium  gave  the  details  herself. 

I  saw  how  effective  her  system  of  "pumping"  was ; 
and  I  saw  how  most  persons  would  have  received 
much  better  results  than  I  did,  by  talking  more  and  by 
making  unguarded  exclamations.  Systems  of  ''pump- 
ing" or  "fishing"  are  an  art  with  mediums,  and  they 
grow  very  expert  at  it,  and  do  it  so  naturally  that  it 
takes  an  expert  to  detect  that  he  himself  is  giving  the 
medium  the  information. 

Most  persons  would  have  regarded  this  information 
as  most  wonderful  and  would  have  quickly  forgotten 
the  little  failures  she  made.  In  fact,  with  most,  she 
would  not  have  carried  her  failures  so  far;  for  they 
would  most  naturally  have  stopped  her  when  wrong, 
instead  of  allowing  her  to  mislead  herself  as  I  did. 

How  many  of  my  readers  have  ever  blindfolded 
themselves  and  t^ied  to  find  a  hidden  article  by  touch- 
ing the  tips  of  the  fingers  of  a  person  who  intently 
thinks  of  the  article  and  its  hiding-place?  Those  who 
have  done  this  will  remember  the  swaying  motions  of 
the  body  in  the  different  directions  in  the  endeavor 
to  find  the  direction  by  first  discovering  the  "line  of 
least  resistance";  how  the  subjects  resist  when  the 
operator  is  wrong;  and  while  they  do  not  lead  one, 
how  they  quickly  encourage  him  by  not  resisting  when 
he  starts  right.  This  same  principle  applies  to  the 
art  of  "fishing."  The  medium  mentions  many  things 
on  many  subjects,  and  the  sitter  resists  or  overlooks 
the  ones  on  the  "wrong  track" ;  and  while  not  intend- 
ing to  lead  the  medium,  shows  by  encouragement  when 
the  medium  is  on  the  ''right  track." 

After  the  seance  I  did  not  at  first  tell  the  medium 
I  had  discovered  her  trick,  but  I  did  tell  her  that  I 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  6/ 

knew  how  her  lights  were  produced,  and  this  she  did 
not  deny.  I  merely  said,  "I  am  puzzled  as  to  how  you 
handled  these  lights.  Mrs.  C.  tells  me  that  you  floated 
a  luminous  letter  C  into  her  lap,  telling  her  this  was 
the  initial  of  her  name."  The  medium  replied,  "Did 
she  say  that?"  I  replied  that  she  did.  The  medium 
then  said,  "That  shows  what  a  person's  imagination 
will  do.  I  had  no  luminous  letters.  T  merely  moved 
the  luminous  cloth  so  as  to  describe  a  letter  C,  after 
discovering  her  name." 

She  said  that  when  she  gave  tests  to  any  one,  the 
stories  they  told  afterwards  continually  grew,  and  al- 
ways grew  to  her  advantage.  That  they  grew  so  that 
when  they  came  back  to  her,  she  could  hardly  rec- 
ognize her  own  work.  She  said,  "It  is  a  fact  that  be- 
lievers are  so  anxious  for  tests,  that  they  always  help 
one  out ;  and  they  invariably  help  out,  if  they  be  be- 
lievers, in  the  way  that  the  medium  desires  they  should." 
I  afterwards  sat  with  Mrs.  C —  and  repeated  the 
tests  the  medium  gave  her;  and  she  did  not  discover 
how  I  did  it,  and  admitted  that  I  did  it  just  as  well 
and  successfully  as  the  medium  did.  I  did  not  tell  her 
that  I  had  but  one  hand  on  her  two  hands.  I  have 
prepared  some  luminous  hands,  faces,  and  forms  on 
silk,  which  I  use  in  such  cases;  and  I  find  the  effect 
of  these  dark  seance  tricks  is  on  the  average  just  as 
impressive  as  are  the  more  difficult  feats  which  I  per- 
form in  the  light. 

I  may  mention  that  Mrs.  C —  had  a  sitting  with  this 
medium  again  on  the  same  evening  that  I  did ;  and  that 
she  insisted  to  me  afterwards,  that  two  hands  touched 
her,  one  on  each  side  of  her  face,  at  the  same  instant. 
This  shows  the  average  person's  lack  of  memory  when 
describmg  little  details.    I  asked  her  if  her  face  were 


68  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

not  first  touched  on  one  side,  and  then  quickly  after- 
wards on  the  other ;  and  she  admitted  that  such  might 
have  been  the  case.  I  will  say  that  when  my  wife  had 
a  sitting  with  this  medium,  there  was  a  very  dim  light 
in  an  adjoining  hall ;  and  as  my  wife  faced  a  transom 
she  could  dimly  see  the  medium  manipulating  her  free 
arm.  The  medium  was  unaware  of  the  slight  light 
shining  through  the  transom  and  of  the  fact  that  she 
was  between  my  wife  and  the  light. 

At  a  later  date  when  better  acquainted  with  this 
medium,  she  explained  to  me  the  means  by  which  she 
had  obtained  the  profound  secret  which  she  gave  to 
Mrs.  C — .  Mrs.  C — 's  most  intimate  friend  accom- 
panied her  to  the  first  meeting  with  this  medium  and 
had  the  first  sitting.  To  her  own  friends,  this  lady 
pretended  to  be  an  ardent  believer.  In  fact  she  was 
a  skeptic,  but  was  very  anxious  to  become  a  medium 
herself.  She  accordingly  courted  the  favor  of  this  me- 
dium by  revealing  to  her  this  secret,  in  the  hope  of  re- 
ceiving some  instruction  in  the  coveted  art  in  return 
for  her  kindness. 

I  am  acquainted  with  a  gentleman  who  in  describing 
a  slate  performance  which  Slade  gave  him,  solemnly 
tells  me  that  he  purchased  and  took  his  own  slate  with 
him,  and  that  it  never  left  his  own  hands  or  the  light. 
Further  he  states  most  positively  that  he  saw  the  mes- 
sage in  the  process  of  appearing  on  the  slate  letter  by 
letter.  This  man  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  large 
firm,  a  good  business  man,  and  honest.  Now  neither 
Slade  nor  any  other  person  ever  gave  such  a  perform- 
ance ;  and  among  all  the  magicians  who  saw  Slade,  no 
one  ever  witnessed  such  a  trick. 

Truly,  not  much  reliance  can  be  put  in  miraculous 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  69 

tales  related  second-hand  of  such  performances.     One 

can  only  test  such  things  by  seeing  the  details  oneself. 

*     *     * 

There  is  a  test  that  is  quite  convincing  which  can  be 
given  at  the  close  when  working  the  trick  which  this 
lady  medium  worked.  It  consists  in  passing  upon  the 
sitter's  arm  a  solid,  previously  examined  steel  ring, 
without  removing  the  palms  from  the  back  of  the  sub- 
ject's hands. 

When  I  perform  this,  I  allow  the  steel  ring  to  be 
examined  before  the  lights  are  put  out.  It  is  eight 
inches  in  diameter  and  is  made  of  quarter-inch  wire, 
nickel-plated. 

I  then  place  this  ring  on  the  top  of  my  head  when 
I  take  my  seat.  Now,  after  placing  my  left  palm  on 
the  sitter's  two  hands  and  going  through  the  subse- 
quent maneuvers  with  trumpets,  luminous  hands,  faces, 
raps,  etc.,  I  quietly  reach  up  on  my  head  and  take  the 
ring  on  my  right  arm. 

I  then  place  my  right  palm  on  the  back  of  my  left 
hand  and  allow  the  third  and  fourth  fingers  of  my  right 
hand  to  rest  on  the  back  of  the  subject's  left  hand. 
This  seems  to  him  as  if  I  have  merely  moved  two  of 
the  fingers  of  my  right  hand,  which  he  thinks  is  rest- 
ing on  his  left.  I  next  press  tightly  on  these  fingers, 
and  state  to  the  subject  that  I  will  now  take  hold  of 
each  of  his  hands  without  removing  my  touch  from 
them  and  for  him  to  note  this  fact.  I  press  tightly  with 
the  third  and  fourth  fingers  of  each  hand,  and  do  not 
release  this  pressure ;  but  with  the  thumbs  of  each 
hand,  I  quickly  reach  under  each  of  his  palms  and 
grasp  his  hands.  This  I  have  now  done  without  any 
removal  from  his  touch.  I  now  rise  to  my  feet  and 
call  for  lights.     As  I  do  this  the  ring  on  my  right 


70  HALF   HOURS   WITH   MEDIUMS. 

arm  settles  down  upon  his  left  arm ;  and  when  the 
lights  are  on  he  finds  it  there,  and  thinks  it  was  passed 
upon  his  arm  by  some  super-human  power,  never 
dreaming  that  it  was  first  on  my  own  arm.  This  is  a 
very  effective  test. 

X. 

At  one  time  I  knew  a  materializing  medium  who  was 
one  of  the  best  in  the  country.  He  did  not  use  con- 
federates and  have  them  enter  through  a  trap,  as  is 
often  done  by  some  of  the  best  mediums  who  material- 
ize in  their  own  homes  in  the  larger  cities. 

I  may  mention  that  this  latter  class  very  often  have 
the  trap  in  the  base  board  behind  the  cabinet,  as  ex- 
plained elsewhere  in  this  work.  Sometimes  the  trap 
is  in  the  ceiling  and  is  masked  by  a  heavy  border  in 
the  paper  on  the  ceiling.  In  such  cases  the  cabinet 
curtains  extend  to  the  ceiling;  and  when  the  singing 
commences,  this  trap  is  opened  from  the  room  above 
and  a  padded  ladder  let  down  into  the  cabinet.  The 
various  "spirits"  descend  and  perform  their  parts, 
then  return  up  the  ladder,  and  withdrawing  it,  close 
the  trap.  During  this  time  the  medium  guards  the 
cabinet;  and  a  few  faithful  confederates  in  the  front 
row  of  spectators  see  to  it  that  no  accidents  happen. 
This  is  one  of  the  best  traps ;  for  the  cabinet  and  walls 
can  be  inspected  thoroughly,  before  and  after  the  per- 
formance. No  one  ever  suspects  the  ceiling,  which  is 
inaccessible  to  inspection.  A  trap  through  the  floor 
is  sometimes  used,  but  this  is  not  so  good  an  idea. 

The  medium  to  whom  I  just  referred  uses  none  of 
these  traps,  neither  does  he  submit  himself  to  any  of 
the  various  "rope  ties"  which  are  so  numerous.  He  says 
that  doing  so  only  creates  suspicion.  He  trusts  entirely 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  7I 

to  the  loyalty  of  a  few  confederates  and  ardent  be- 
lievers, who  are  seated  in  the  front  row  and  who  see 
to  it  that  "conditions"  are  not  disturbed. 

Strangers  and  skeptics  are  seated  well  back.  He  uses 
many  elegant  costumes,  all  made  of  the  finest  silk ;  and 
they  can  all  be  contained  in  a  very  small  space.  He 
has  one  piece  consisting  of  twenty-one  yards  of  the 
finest  white  French  bridal  veiling,  which  can  be  con- 
tained in  a  pint  cup.  It  is  two  yards  wide  and  very 
gauzy.  Such  material  can  only  be  obtained  in  the  very 
largest  cities  and  is  difficult  to  find  even  there. 

This  is  prepared  as  follows :  The  fabric  is  first  washed 
carefully  through  seven  waters,  and  while  damp  worked 
thoroughly  and  rapidly  through  the  solution  given  be- 
low. It  is  then  tacked  on  a  large  wall  space  and  left 
there  to  dry  for  three  days.  After  this  it  is  washed 
with  naphtha  soap  until  all  odor  leaves  it  and  until 
the  fabric  is  perfectly  soft  and  pliable.  Only  silk  will 
retain  the  paint  through  this  washing. 

The  solution  for  dyeing  is  made  as  follows:  One  jar 
of  "Balmain's  Luminous  Paint,"  one-half  pint  Demar 
varnish,  one  pint  odorless  benzine,  fifty  drops  of  lav- 
ender oil.  All  must  be  mixed  together,  kept  thin,  and 
the  work  done  very  rapidly. 

This  fabric  will,  after  being  exposed  to  the  light, 
shine  for  a  long  time  in  the  dark  and  appear  as  a  soft, 
luminous  vapor.  He  uses  this  piece  for  the  hair,  which 
reaches  to  the  floor,  when  he  impersonates  Cleopatra 
and  other  queens. 

The  silk  for  his  skirt  and  waist,  is  ordinary  white 
silk.  It  is  prepared  with  a  most  elaborate  and  beauti- 
ful design  of  vines,  leaves,  roses,  and  so  forth,  painted 
on  it  with  the  undiluted  "Balmain"  paint.  This  ap- 
pears many  times  more  brilliant  than  the  gauze.    His 


*J2,  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

crown,  beads,  and  jewels  are  also  painted  with  the 
pure  paint.  They  are  very  brilliant.  All  parts  not 
painted  are  in  perfect  darkness.  His  face  can  not  be 
seen  except  when  he  wears  a  beautiful  mask  dimly 
illuminated,  or  when  he  places  a  piece  of  the  luminous 
gauze  over  it,  allowing  the  gauze  to  shape  to,  and  cling 
to  his  features. 

It  was  a  beautiful  sight  in  the  darkness,  to  see  him 
in  this  gorgeous  appearing  costume,  while  with  his 
finely  modulated  voice  he  impersonated  the  voice  of 
the  Egyptian  queen  in  a  "spirit  whisper"  and  in  her 
native  tongue. 

When  made  up  as  an  old  Indian  chief,  his  costume 
was  fantastic  to  the  degree  of  barbarism.  His  head- 
dress, feathers,  etc.,  were  painted  with  the  pure  paint, 
and  he  wore  a  dimly  illuminated  Indian  face.  It  looked 
grotesque  to  see  him  in  the  darkness  "doing"  a  war- 
dance  for  ardent  believers,  while  in  his  deep  voice  he 
chanted  in  the  old  chief's  native  tongue.  He  was  a 
splendid  actor  and  could  modulate  his  voice  from  the 
deepest  basso  to  the  fine  voice  of  the  best  female  im- 
personators. 

When  he  was  materializing  as  Queen  "Oriana"  I 
could  first  notice  a  small,  vapory  light  near  the  floor, 
which  gradually  grew  to  the  size  of  a  human  form. 
Then  a  few  feet  from  it  another  appeared  gradually. 
These  waved  about  as  vapory,  willowy  ghosts.  They 
were  the  gauze  fabric  which  he  had  gradually  uncovered 
to  our  view.  Then,  gradually,  his  form  began  appear- 
ing between  these,  and  near  the  floor;  and  it  grew 
gradually,  to  full  size,  while  the  crown  and  jewels 
shone  with  a  weird  brilliancy  that  almost  lighted  the 
room  dimly.  The  two  gauzy  forms  now  appeared 
as  the  shining  hair  of  the  queen  reaching  to  the  floor. 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  73 

When  he  impersonated  a  child  he  seemed  to  be  able 
to  contract  his  size  and  shrink  down  so  as  to  appear  as 
a  little  child.  He  could  imitate  a  child's  voice  to  per- 
fection. 

He  recounted  many  amusing  incidents  of  his  mate- 
rializations, when  talking  to  me,  whom  he  knew  to  be 
in  the  possession  of  his  secret.  He  said  it  was  laugh- 
able sometimes  when  he  was  called  upon  by  some  of 
the  class  of  believers  who  have  "soul-mates,"  and  who 
desire  them  to  be  materialized. 

Doubtless  some  of  my  readers  have  heard  of  some 
such  persons  who  have  studied  "occult  science"  and 
whose  "soul-mates"  reside  on  Mars,  Jupiter,  or  some 
other  planet.  I  used  to  think  that  these  people  knew 
better;  but  I  have  met  so  many  of  them,  that  I  have 
about  concluded  that  they  are  deluded  and  actually 
believe  in  these  "soul-mates."  Sometimes  these  persons 
have  considerable  means,  and  pay  the  medium  a  goodly 
sum  to  materialize  a  particular  "soul-mate"  for  them. 

One  instance  which  he  related  to  me  was  of  a  lady 
with  considerable  means  whose  "soul-mate"  was  an 
ancient  king.  She  gave  this  medium  fifty  dollars  for 
a  materialization  in  private.  The  medium  sat  in  his 
cabinet  while  his  wife  sat  with  the  believer  in  total 
darkness.  At  the  proper  time  the  ancient  king  ap- 
peared in  the  gorgeous  costume  of  a  barbaric  age. 
The  lady  began  weeping,  and  with  tears  in  her  voice 
she  cried,  "Oh,  King!  King!  you  make  me  so  happy!" 
He  replied  in  the  lowest  and  most  solemn  tones  of  his 
beautiful  voice,  "Do  not  weep,  your  Majesty.  Re- 
member how  happy  you  will  be  with  me  when  you  sit 
by  my  side  on  my  throne,  etc.,  etc."  It  was  certainly 
amusing  to  hear  him  recount  this  incident  and  give 


74  HALF    HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

the  correct  imitation  of  the  lady's  tearful  voice,  fol- 
lowed by  his  own  deep  melodious  tones. 

He  told  me  that  it  was  in  such  cases  as  this  that  he 
frequently  made  his  "best  money."  He  was  wearing 
a  beautiful  solitaire  diamond  ring  on  his  little  finger. 
He  asked  if  I  would  like  to  hear  its  history.  I  said  that 
I  would  and  he  gave  me  the  following  story. 

A  certain  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  an  Eastern 
state,  had  a  fiancee  who  was  killed  in  a  railroad  wreck. 
This  sad  accident  had  occurred  just  after  the  judge 
had  purchased  this  ring  for  her,  and  before  he  had  an 
opportunity  of  presenting  it.  This  judge  was  nearly 
distracted  over  his  loss  and  visited  various  spirit  me- 
diums. A  certain  one,  a  very  prominent  lady  minister 
of  a  noted  spiritualist  church  in  that  state,  learned  of 
all  this,  but  was  unable  to  secure  the  ring  from  the 
judge. 

She  met  this  medium  and  in  his  own  language  gave 
him  "the  dope  for  this  judge."  She  told  him  the  judge 
still  had  the  ring  and  as  she  could  not  "work  him"  for 
it,  she  would  turn  him  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of 
this  medium. 

When  the  judge  came  one  afternoon  for  a  reading 
this  medium  called  from  the  "other  side"  the  judge's 
sweetheart.  During  the  conversation  the  "spirit"  adroitly 
brought  up  the  subject  of  this  ring;  and  then  said  that 
if  the  judge  would  return  that  evening,  she  would 
appear  to  him,  and  that  he  could  present  this  ring  to 
her.  She  said  that  she  would  dematerialize  it  and 
take  its  "astral"  form  with  her  into  the  "realms  of 
spirit." 

The  medium  then  worked  very  hard  securing  proper 
make-up  material  for  the  evening.  At  the  proper  time 
the  "spirit"  of  the  lady  appeared  dressed  in  a  most 


HALF  HOURS  WITH   MEDIUMS.  75 

gorgeous  bridal  costume  of  the  greatest  beauty.  Her 
face  was  in  darkness  and  she  spoke  only  in  whispers. 
She  held  the  most  beautiful  lilies-of-the-valley  in  her 
hands,  and  her  costume  was  covered  with  orange  blos- 
soms. Some  of  the  flowers  were  luminous.  The  sight 
was  so  beautiful  that  the  judge  was  deeply  affected  and 
shed  tears.  The  "spirit"  walked  towards  him  and  held 
out  her  little  finger,  on  which  the  judge  slipped  the 
diamond,  which  the  medium  now  wears. 

I  asked  this  medium  if  he  had  ever  seen  a  medium 
who  could  perform  any  trick  which  he  could  not 
fathom.  He  said  that  he  had,  and  related  to  me  that 
a  certain  medium,  a  lady  now  in  the  West  somewhere, 
had  a  secret  for  materializations  that  was  very  fine. 
Her  husband  had  been  a  chemist ;  and  she  possessed 
some  kind  of  a  capsule  that  she  could  moisten  in  her 
mouth  and  roll  towards  the  spectators  in  the  darkness, 
when  it  would  rise  into  a  luminous  vapor  the  size  of 
a  human  form  and  move  about.  There  was  no  odor 
and  nothing  could  be  seen  if  the  lights  were  raised  ;  but 
on  turning  them  out,  it  again  appeared.  He  said  none 
of  the  mediums  could  get  the  secret  of  this  trick.  The 
medium  at  one  time  offered  to  sell  some  of  the  cap- 
sules at  one  dollar  each.  One  medium  bought  twenty- 
five  of  them ;  but  when  she  tried  to  use  them  they 
would  not  work ;  and  she  almost  tore  her  hair  in  an- 
guish to  think  that  she,  who  had  duped  so  many, 
should  herself  be  duped. 

This  medium  showed  me,  in  his  paraphernalia,  a 
half-dozen  books  of  "dope"  which  were  for  persons 
in  various  cities  he  intended  visiting.  He  had  secured 
the  information  which  they  contained  in  various  ways, 
but  most  frequently  from  other  mediums  who  had  been 
in  these  places. 


76  HALF    HOURS    WITH    MEDIUMS. 


XI 

At  one  time  an  acquaintance  told  me  of  a  wonderful 
experience  that  he  had  with  a  certain  medium.  He  had 
called  at  the  hotel  where  the  medium  was  stopping, 
and  asked  for  a  private  reading.  The  medium,  a  very 
dignified  gentleman,  received  him,  and  proceeded  to 
give  him  a  very  interesting  verbal  reading.  He  told 
my  acquaintance  of  many  occurrences  in  his  past  life, 
of  things  that  were  worrying  him,  etc.  Finally  he 
brought  out  a  number  of  slates  and  gave  them  to  the 
sitter  with  the  request  that  he  select  two  of  them  and 
lay  the  remainder  on  the  bed.  The  sitter  also  cleaned 
and  thoroughly  examined  the  slates,  and  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  medium  held  them  on  his  own  head. 
The  medium  merely  touched  the  edges  of  the  frames 
of  the  slates  with  the  tips  of  his  fingers,  which  the 
sitter  particularly  noticed  contained  absolutely  nothing. 
In  a  few  moments  the  sitter  took  the  slates  from  his 
head,  and  separating  them,  found  on  the  inside  of  one 
a  lengthy  message  addressed  to  him  by  name,  and  signed 
by  the  name  of  his  dead  mother.  The  message  was 
devoted  to  subjects  which  were  at  that  time  affecting 
the  sitter's  life,  and  which  the  medium  could  not  pre- 
viously have  known  as  the  sitter  was  a  stranger  to  the 
medium. 

This  acquaintance  of  mine  regarded  this  perform- 
ance as  entirely  beyond  the  possibilities  of  trickery, 
and  as  positive  proof  of  communion  with  the  soul  of 
his  departed  mother. 

There  was  another  told  me  of  the  same  medium, 
and  he  stated  to  me  that  he  had  bought  two  slates  and 
took  them  with  him  to  the  medium's  parlors.     That 


HALF   HOURS    WITH    MEDIUMS.  7/ 

these  slates  positively  never  left  his  hands,  and  yet  he 
received  a  similar  message. 

Yet  another  told  me  of  his  marvelous  experience 
with  this  same  medium.  When  he  entered  the  medium's 
parlor,  he  took  his  seat  at  a  kind  of  large  table  or  desk, 
and  wrote  on  a  slip  of  paper  the  question  he  wanted 
answered,  and  folded  the  same  and  placed  it  within 
his  own  pocket.  As  he  did  this  the  medium  was  en- 
gaged with  a  book  at  the  opposite  side  of  a  large  room. 
When  he  had  finished,  the  medium  began  to  give  him  a 
reading  verbally.  Finally  he  had  the  sitter  select  two 
slates  and  hold  them  on  his  own  head ;  and  in  a  few 
moments  he  received  a  message  on  the  inside  of  one 
of  the  slates  answering  the  question  he  had  written, 
and  giving  additional  information,  and  this  was  ad- 
dressed to  his  name.  This  sitter  paid  five  dollars  for 
this  reading. 

Now,  fortunately,  I  was  personally  acquainted  with 
this  marvelous  medium  and  knew  the  exact  means  he 
employed  in  these  tricks.  The  principle  in  each  of  the 
slate  tests  was  the  same.  Had  the  spectator  been  a 
close  observer  he  would  have  noticed  that  a  large  fold- 
ing bed  stood  across  the  corner  of  the  room,  also  that 
one  side  of  the  head  of  this  bed  did  not  reach  the  wall 
by  two  feet.  Had  he  looked  behind  this  bed  he  would 
have  seen  an  assistant  seated  on  a  chair  in  his  stocking 
feet,  with  a  table,  several  slates,  and  some  crayon  pen- 
cils. He  would  also  have  noticed  that  the  room  was 
heavily  carpeted. 

During  the  time  that  the  medium  was  giving  the 
first  sitter  the  verbal  reading,  the  concealed  assistant 
was  writing  the  message  on  subjects  which  the  medium 
adroitly  hit  upon  in  his  conversation,  and  which  he 
cunningly  caused  the  sitter  to  admit  and  discuss  with 


78  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

him.  Naturally  the  sitter  said  many  things  which  he 
forgot  immediately;  and  the  operator  being  very  ex- 
pert in  this  mental  work,  even  secured  his  name  in  the 
conversation,  by  properly  exciting  the  sitter  in  a  certain 
description  of  an  important  event  then  in  the  process 
of  occurring  in  his  life.  Of  course  the  assistant,  hear- 
ing all  this  information,  was  able  to  elaborate  a  mes- 
sage in  which  all  this  information  was  used  to  very 
telling  advantage. 

In  his  conversation,  the  operator,  at  the  proper  time, 
spoke  certain  words,  which  were  a  secret  cue  to  the 
assistant  to  close  the  message  and  be  ready. 

Now  when  the  sitter  selected  and  cleaned  the  two 
slates  and  placed  them  together,  the  operator  had  him 
take  a  seat  in  a  large,  strong  chair  with  the  back 
towards  the  head  of  the  folding  bed.  The  operator 
now  asked  to  touch  the  slate  edges,  during  the  trial 
for  a  message,  with  the  tips  of  his  fingers.  When  he 
did  so,  however,  he  really  first  grasped  the  edges  of 
the  ends  of  the  slates  holding  them  together ;  and  he 
told  the  sitter  to  let  loose  and  bring  his  palms  up  under 
and  beyond  these  slates,  and  to  place  his  two  palms 
against  the  surface  of  the  slate  which  was  nearest  the 
medium. 

The  medium,  it  must  be  understood,  was  directly  in 
front  of  the  sitter  with  his  arms  extending  forward 
towards  the  sitter,  and  his  fingers  grasping  the  ends 
of  the  slates  by  their  frames.  The  sitter's  arms  were 
extended  towards  the  medium,  passing  under  the  lower 
edge  of  the  slates  zvJiich  were  held  edgewise  in  a  ver- 
tical position,  and  his  palms  were  pressed  against  the 
surface  of  the  slate  next  to  the  medium.  The  sitter's 
palms  thus  faced  himself,  and  the  slates  were  held 
vertically  in  a  position  between  his  palms  and  his  own 


HALF   HOURS   WITH   MEDIUMS.  79 

face.  They  were  supported  at  the  ends  by  pressure 
from  the  medium's  fingers  on  their  edges.  It  is  very 
important  that  the  reader  form  a  good  mental  picture 
of  this,  if  he  desires  to  understand  the  trick  thoroughly. 

Now  while  the  sitter  was  releasing  his  hold  on  the 
slates  and  changing  the  position  of  his  hands,  the 
operator  deftly  slipped  the  slate  that  was  next  to  the 
sitter  up  about  one-half  inch  higher  than  the  slate 
which  the  sitter's  palms  touched. 

The  operator  now  held  the  slates  without  grasping 
the  edges,  by  merely  pressing  on  the  edges  with  his 
fingers,  or  squeezing  his  fingers  against  the  edges  of 
the  slates.  He  now  moved  the  slates  upwards  until 
above  the  sitter's  head,  then  backwards  until  the  edge 
of  the  forward  slate  rested  on  the  sitter's  head.  The 
sitter's  hands  followed  the  slates  with  his  palms  re- 
maining in  contact  with  the  front  slate.  The  fitter 
naturally  supposed  that  the  slates  both  rested  on  his 
head ;  but  really  his  head,  and  his  hands  also,  only 
touched  the  forward  slate. 

The  medium  now  began  a  very  interesting  talk  to 
the  sitter ;  and  as  his  assistant  quietly  slipped  out  from 
behind  the  bed  with  the  prepared  slate,  the  medium's 
conversation  became  very  animated  and  almost  violent. 
He  also  applied  most  of  the  pressure  of  his  fingres  to 
the  forward  slate ;  and  relaxing  the  pressure  on  the 
upper  side  of  the  edge  of  the  rear  slate,  he  allowed  it 
to  tilt  back  an  inch  at  the  top.  The  assistant  took  hold 
of  it  from  behind  the  sitter,  lifted  it  out  and  substituted 
the  prepared  slate  in  its  place,  immediately  retiring 
behind  the  bed  with  the  discarded  slate.  The  medium 
now  grew  more  calm ;  and  bringing  the  slates  forward 
from  the  head  of  the  sitter  into  the  sitter's  lap,  he 
placed  his  own  palms  on  them  for  a  time  and  then 


8o  HALF   HOURS  WITH    MEDIUMS. 

asked  the  sitter  to  examine  them  for  a  message.  When 
the  sitter  remarked  that  he  did  not  beHeve  the  writing 
was  his  mother's,  the  medium  stated  that  his  guide  did 
the  writing  at  the  dictation  of  the  sitter's  mother. 

In  the  second  case  I  described,  wherein  the  sitter 
purchased  and  brought  his  own  slates  with  him,  the 
same  tactics  were  followed  except  that  the  assistant 
could  not  prepare  the  message  in  advance  of  the  writ- 
ing experiment.  He,  of  course,  gathered  the  informa- 
tion and  had  a  rather  short  message  mentally  prepared. 
It  took  considerably  more  time  to  perform  the  trick, 
but  the  operator  made  it  so  interesting  for  the  sitter 
that  this  was  not  noticed.  The  assistant  had  to  slip 
out  at  the  proper  time,  take  the  rear  slate,  retire  and 
write  the  message,  bring  it  back  and  replace  it,  and 
then  again  retire. 

The  sitter  was  positive  that  his  own  slates  never  left 
his  touch ;  but  the  fact  was  that  the  rear  one  on  his 
head  did,  and  he  overlooked  the  fact  that  he  was  for  a 
time  merely  touching  one  slate.  Of  course  he  never 
dreamed  of  a  third  person  in  the  room. 

In  the  last  case  I  described,  the  only  additional  thing 
was  the  means  by  which  the  assistant  secured  a  copy 
of  the  question  which  the  sitter  wrote  and  concealed. 
This  large  desk  or  table  the  medium  carried  with  him. 
One  leg  was  hollow,  and  it  stood  over  a  hole  in  the 
floor.  As  the  table  was  very  heavy,  no  one  ever  moved 
it.  The  top  was  prepared  by  first  covering  it  with  a 
very  thin  piece  of  white  silk,  placing  a  carbon  sheet  on 
this ;  and  then  some  thin,  slick,  black  cloth  was  placed 
over  all  and  this  cloth  was  tacked  in  place. 

Paper  and  pencils  lay  on  the  table.  The  medium 
directed  the  sitter  to  go  to  the  table  and  write  his  ques- 
tion and  sign  his  own  name  to  it.    As  soon  as  he  did 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  8l 

SO,  the  medium  told  him  to  place  it  in  his  pocket,  and 
then  called  him  to  the  center  of  the  room  and  began  the 
reading.  Now  a  strong  cord  which  ran  under  the  floor 
from  the  assistant,  and  passed  up  the  hollow  leg  of  the 
table,  was  securely  attached  to  the  corner  of  the  white 
silk  on  the  table  under  the  carbon  sheet.  Of  course, 
at  the  proper  time,  the  assistant  drew  in  this  piece  of 
silk  and  read  the  carbon  impression  of  the  question  the 
sitter  had  written.  In  this  trick  the  sheet  of  carbon 
should  be  slightly  larger  than  the  silk  and  should  be 
tacked  to  the  table  on  the  side  opposite  the  hollow  leg. 
*     *     * 

Another  medium  performed  this  slate  trick  in  a 
slightly  different  but  very  effective  manner.  He  usu- 
ally did  it  as  I  shall  now  describe,  when  the  sitter  came 
with  his  own  slates. 

He  gave  the  sitter  a  slip  of  paper  on  which  to  write 
his  question  and  requested  him  after  writing  to  retain 
it  in  his  pocket.  He  next  gave  the  sitter  a  large  rubber 
band  to  fasten  the  two  slates  together.  When  this  was 
done,  he  took  the  slates  in  the  tips  of  the  fingers  of  his 
right  hand,  and  placed  them  on  the  sitter's  left  shoul- 
der just  back  of  his  range  of  vision ;  while  with  his 
left  hand  he  grasped  the  sitter's  two  hands  and  looked 
into  his  eyes.  He  now  gave  the  sitter  an  interesting 
verbal  reading,  after  which  he  brought  the  slates  into 
view  and  gave  them  to  the  sitter  to  unfasten  and  ex- 
amine. When  this  was  done,  the  sitter,  greatly  to  his 
own  mystification,  found  on  the  slates  a  lengthy  mes- 
sage covering  the  two  sides  of  the  slates  that  were 
together,  answering  the  question,  and  signed  by  the 
spirit  to  whom  it  had  been  addressed. 

The  secret  was  very  simple.  The  slip  of  paper  which 
the  medium  handed  to  the  sitter  had  been  previously 


82  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

rubbed  on  both  sides  with  white  spermaceti  wax. 
This  was  done  while  the  paper  rested  on  a  smooth 
surface.  Some  pressure  was  appHed,  and  the  paper 
well  rubbed,  until  it  was  coated  with  the  wax.  This 
could  not  be  detected  by  one  inexperienced.  The  me- 
dium saw  to  it  that  the  sitter  placed  this  slip  on  his 
(the  sitter's)  own  slate  while  writing.  This  left  the 
question  transferred  to  the  slate  with  a  slight  coat  of 
wax.  This  was  hardly  noticeable.  Now  the  rubber 
band  was  put  around  the  slates,  and  the  medium  placed 
them  in  the  position  described  above.  While  he  enter- 
tained the  sitter  properly  with  the  verbal  reading,  his 
confederate  slipped  out  and  took  the  slates,  leaving 
two  others  in  their  stead  which  the  medium  now  al- 
lowed to  rest  on  the  sitter's  shoulder. 

The  confederate  took  the  slates  behind  the  bed, 
opened  them,  dusted  common  talcum,  or  toilet  powder 
on  the  slates,  shook  it  around,  and  as  the  powder  ad- 
hered to  the  wax,  he  read  the  question  and  name.  He 
now  cleaned  the  slates,  wrote  the  message  with  soft 
crayon,  closed  the  slates,  slipped  out  behind  the  sitter 
and  made  the  second  exchange.  A  good  powder  to  use 
in  this  experiment  is  dry  white  lead. 

XII. 

I  will  describe  in  this  number  a  very  novel  seance 
which  I  attended  recently.  It  was  a  dark  seance;  but 
the  most  unusual  part  was  that  the  work  was  really 
billet  work,  and  it  was  performed  in  the  most  complete 
darkness. 

This  trick  is  but  little  known  at  present  and  the 
effect  is  simply  beyond  description.  We  called  at  the 
medium's  parlors,  and  were  each  given  a  small  white 
card  and  an  envelope.     We  were  instructed  to  write 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  83 

on  the  cards  the  questions  we  desired  answered,  to  ad- 
dress them  to  our  spirit  friends,  and  to  sign  our  own 
names,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases.  We  were  also  ad- 
vised to  let  no  one  know  what  we  had  written,  and  to 
seal  the  cards  in  the  envelopes.  Wax  was  furnished, 
so  that  those  who  desired  could  seal  their  envelopes 
in  this  manner  as  an  extra  precaution.  A  number  of 
the  guests  took  advantage  of  this  ofifer. 

As  soon  as  the  questions  were  sealed,  the  medium 
entered  the  room  and  the  lights  were  put  out.  The 
most  complete  darkness  reigned.  We  sat  around  the 
room  holding  each  other's  hands,  and  the  medium  felt 
her  way  around  in  the  darkness  and  collected  our 
sealed  missives  in  her  hand. 

She  next  took  her  seat  opposite  us  in  the  room,  and 
gave  each  person  the  most  marvelous  test.  She  did 
not  read  the  questions  word  for  word,  which  would 
have  detracted  from  the  effect,  but  gave  the  tests  after 
this  manner :  "I  feel  the  influence  of  cold,  chilly  water, 
and  I  hear  the  splashing  of  the  waves  of  the  sea.  I 
see  a  great  storm  raging,  and  I  get  the  influence  of 
one  who  was  a  brother.  He  speaks  the  name  of  Harry 
and  says,  'Ella,  do  not  worry  about  me.  I  am  very 
happy  now  and  know  neither  sorrow  nor  pain.  All  is 
brightness  and  joy  over  here.'  Miss  Smith,  your 
brother  is  in  the  realm  of  bliss  over  there." 

The  question  from  which  this  test  was  given  read  as 
follows : 

"Brother  Harry:  Did  you  suffer  much  agony  when 
you  were  washed  overboard  and  drowned? 

—Ella  Smith." 

These  tests  were  all  given  in  the  most  complete  dark- 
ness ;  after  which  the   medium   requested   that   some 


84  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

committee  come  to  her  and  receive  the  unopened  en- 
velopes in  the  darkness,  before  the  Hghts  were  Hghted. 
This  was  done. 

After  this  the  room  was  lighted ;  and  each  guest  se- 
lected his  envelope  by  a  slight  mark  which  each  had 
been  requested  to  place  on  it,  and  received  the  same 
unopened  and  unaltered  from  the  hands  of  the  com- 
mittee. 

The  effect  of  this  seance  can  well  be  imagined.  The 
guests  did  not  write  on  any  object  that  could  receive 
any  impression  of  their  writing.  The  medium  could 
not  use  odorless  alcohol  in  the  darkness ;  and  in  fact  no 
one  could  read  any  question,  even  were  it  not  sealed, 
in  such  darkness. 

The  secret  is  a  simple  one.  If  a  person  take  a  thin, 
white  card  and  write  on  it,  this  can  be  sealed ;  yet  the 
writing  can  be  read  easily  in  the  darkness,  if  a  small 
electric  pocket-flash-light  be  held  behind  the  envelope. 
It  could  not  be  done  in  a  lighted  room,  but  in  the  dark- 
ness the  wTiting  appears  very  plain  and  legible.  The 
small  pocket-light  can  be  concealed  in  the  pocket  of 
the  medium ;  and  the  medium  also  has  a  large  hood  or 
sack  made  of  rubber  cloth  or  some  cloth  impervious  to 
light,  which  is  long  enough  to  cover  the  upper  portion 
of  the  person,  including  the  head  and  hands.  This 
sack  is  secreted  in  the  pocket  of  the  medium.  After 
the  envelopes  are  collected,  the  medium  takes  her  seat 
near  two  confederates  who  prevent  accidents ;  and  in 
the  darkness  she  withdraws  the  sack  from  the  pocket, 
placing  it  secretly  over  the  upper  portion  of  her  person. 

She  now  takes  the  flash-light  out  of  her  pocket  and 
proceeds  under  cover  of  the  sack  to  read  the  questions 
and  give  the  tests.    The  room  being  in  total  darkness, 


HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS.  85 

the  subjects  never  know  what  the  medium  has  done  or 
is  doing,  but  consider  that  she  is  in  a  partial  trance. 

After  the  tests  are  given,  she  takes  off  the  sack,  re- 
places it  and  the  light  in  her  pocket,  and  calls  for  the 
committee  to  receive  the  envelopes  before  the  room  is 
relighted. 

The  credit  for  the  invention  of  this  fine  trick  belongs 
not  to  a  medium,  as  might  be  supposed,  but  to  a  magi- 
cian,—Mr.  Henry  Hardin  (E.  A.  Parsons)  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.  This  gentleman  is  the  originator  of 
many  subtle  tricks  used  by  both  mediums  and  magi- 
cians. Many  of  his  secrets  are  catalogued  and  sold  by 
the  dealers ;  and  a  number  of  the  effects  published  in 
Professor  Hoffman's  Later  Magic  are  of  his  invention, 
although  the  credit  is  given  to  certain  dealers.  This 
can  be  verified  by  referring  to  the  old  files  of  the 
magician's  journal,  Mahatma,  wherein  he  first  gave 
their  secrets  to  the  world.  The  trick  just  explained 
was  advertised  in  Mahatma  some  years  ago  under  the 
title  of  "The  Trance  Vision." 

A  medium  once  told  me  that  the  public  never  know 
half  of  the  money  that  is  gathered  by  the  mediums. 
He  said  that  they  are  continually  "playing  for  big 
stakes"  as  this  is  where  the  "big  money"  is  secured. 

He  also  said  that  it  is  not  the  common  people  who 
are  the  best  patrons  of  mediums,  but  doctors,  lawyers, 
merchants,  teachers,  and  the  more  intelligent  class  of 
persons.  He  said  that  scientific  persons  make  the  best 
of  subjects,  because  they  are  in  earnest  and  give  the 
best  attention ;  which  fact  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
for  the  success  of  any  trick. 

He  said  that  really  mediums  do  not  care  for  per- 
forming for  spiritualists  so  much,  as  they  expect  so 
much  for  their  money;  and  if  given  a  fine  piece  of 


86  HALF   HOURS   WITH    MEDIUMS. 

work,  they  accept  It  as  a  matter  of  course.  Mystery, 
he  said,  has  become  commonplace  to  such  people.  It  is 
the  more  intelligent  class,  who  call  themselves  "in- 
vestigators," that  are  willing  and  able  to  pay  "good 
money"  for  a  medium's  services. 

He  told  me  that  he  had  known  many  other  mediums 
and  that  the  foundation  of  nearly  all  of  their  work  is 
some  variation  of  the  principles  of  reading  a  billet 
written  by  a  sitter,  or  some  form  of  a  slate  or  paper- 
writing  experiment. 

He  said  that  he  had  never  met  a  medium  or  other 
performer  in  all  his  experience,  except  an  Indian  ma- 
gician, but  who  would  talk  openly  of  his  tricks  the 
moment  he  made  himself  known  and  gave  the  per- 
former to  understand  that  he  was  "posted"  and  that 
he  had  no  interest  in  exposing  him. 

He  said  that  usually  mediums  can  perform  only  one 
or  two  tricks;  but  that  they  perform  these  so  often, 
and  become  so  very  expert,  that  their  tricks  are  almost 
indetectable. 

Indian  conjurors  are,  as  a  rule,  of  this  class,  and 
simply  excel  in  just  one  or  two  tricks  which  they  know 
to  perfection.  Like  the  mediums,  they  claim  that  their 
tricks  are  a  genuine  performance;  and  this  lends  the 
charm  of  mystery  to  their  work,  which  more  than 
doubles  its  effect. 


MEDIUMISTIC  READING  OF  SEALED 
WRITINGS. 


I  HAVE  decided  to  give  to  my  readers  (in  so  far  as 
I  am  at  liberty  to  do  so)  the  methods  I  generally 
use,  when  reading  sealed  writings  for  a  company  as- 
sembled in  double  parlors. 

For  a  long  time  I  had  intended  to  guard  these  secrets 
carefully  and  keep  them  entirely  for  my  own  use,  as 
is  done  by  many  performers. 

While  magicians  frequently  publish  or  allow  to  be 
published  many  valuable  secrets,  yet  the  secrets  of 
their  very  latest  and  best  work  are  jealously  guarded 
from  the  public.  The  reason  for  this  is  because  if  the 
secrets  become  too  generally  known,  it  lessens  the 
value  of  the  experiments  for  purposes  of  entertain- 
ment, by  rendering  them  common.  Consequently, 
from  the  magician's  point  of  view,  it  is  regarded  as 
out  of  place  to  allow  such  secrets  to  become  public 
property  through  publication. 

In  some  instances  secrets  of  this  class  are  sold  by 
certain  dealers  to  performers,  and  to  professional  me- 
diums, at  prices  that  might  astonish  an  outsider.  If 
the  secrets  are  regarded  as  exceptionally  good  and  a 
high  price  placed  upon  them  by  the  vendor,  so  few 
will  buy  them  that  the  performance  of  the  experiments 


88       MEDIUM ISTIC    READING  OF   SEALED   WRITINGS. 

will  be  very  rare,  and  the  performer  can  well  afford 
to  pay  the  high  price  asked.  When  such  sale  is  made, 
it  is  generally  accompanied  by  a  request  that  the  pur- 
chaser faithfully  guard  the  secret  from  the  public. 

The  fundamental  principles  of  these  experiments  are 
not  new,  but  the  details  make  them  useful  for  prac- 
tical purposes.  I  purchased  them  from  dealers  who 
place  considerable  value  on  them ;  as  they  are  cata- 
logued at  prices  which,  for  the  four  I  am  about  to 
describe,  make  an  aggregate  of  some  seventy  dollars. 

As  received  by  me  from  the  vendors,  I  found  some 
of  them  impracticable  until  I  had  added  certain  im- 
provements to  the  ideas.  In  the  improved  form  I 
assure  my  readers  that  they  are  thoroughly  practicable, 
as  I  have  performed  them  some  hundreds  of  times  with 
such  success  as  would  astonish  one  who  has  not  seen 
them.  I  have  never  yet  made  a  failure  in  performing 
them ;  nor  have  I  found  even  one  person,  among  the 
many  who  have  witnessed  their  performance,  who 
could  even  remotely  guess  at  the  methods  employed. 
There  are  many  methods  of  reading  such  writings, 
but  the  ones  I  am  about  to  describe  are  the  very  best  of 
which  I  have  ever  even  heard.. 

Still,  my  readers  must  not  expect  me  to  explain  a 
miracle.  Miracles  are  never  performed.  The  experi- 
ments are  pure  trickery ;  but  if  properly  performed, 
have  the  appearance  of  being  produced  by  some  occult 
or  psychic  power.  However,  all  that  is  necessary  is 
a  few  simple  articles,  and  their  proper  manipulation. 
When  one  reads  the  explanation  of  a  trick  before  see- 
ing it  performed,  the  value  of  the  trick  is  seldom 
realized.  It  would  be  much  better,  were  it  possible  to 
do  so,  to  see  it  performed  first  and  then  read  the  ex- 
planation afterwards.  However,  as  this  is  impossible  in 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS.       89 

this  instance,  I  will  first  give  the  effect,  or  appearance  of 
the  experiments  as  I  perform  them,  and  follow  this 
with  an  explanation  of  the  methods  employed.  Per- 
formers who  may  read  this,  will  notice  that  most  of 
the  articles  employed  have  been  previously  used  in 
such  experiments;  and  they  may  not  at  first  sight 
attach  the  importance  to  these  experiments  which  they 
deserve,  owing  to  the  fact  that  as  used  heretofore  such 
tricks  were  by  no  means  a  decided  success.  The  ideas 
have  gradually  been  improved  upon,  and  the  perfected 
tricks  are  the  result  of  a  process  of  evolution.  A  few 
little  improvements  will  frequently  make  a  poor  trick 
one  of  the  best  and  most  difficult  of  detection. 

Each  of  the  four  is  performed  on  a  different  prin- 
ciple, and  is  fine  when  performed  singly.  They  should 
first  be  practiced  in  this  manner;  but  as  I  produce 
them,  I  work  them  as  one  experiment,  or  rather  as  a 
combination  trick.  I  have  performed  two  of  them 
singly  from  the  stage  with  the  greatest  success;  but 
worked  in  combination,  I  generally  give  them  in  a 
double  parlor.  Here  the  effect  is  so  great,  especially 
on  the  more  intelligent  class  of  persons,  (owing  to  the 
fact  of  all  being  done  under  the  very  eyes  of  the  spec- 
tators,) that  I  prefer  this  method ;  and  I  shall  describe 
the  experiments  as  I  perform  them  in  my  double  par- 
lors. 

I  would  suggest  that  those  who  desire  to  easily 
grasp  the  explanations  should  pay  close  attention  to 
the  following  description,  as  it  is  given  with  a  view 
to  making  the  explanations  intelligible.  Each  little 
detail  should  be  remembered ;  for  all  is  for  a  purpose, 
and  must  be  just  so. 

I  have  the  audience  seated  in  the  front  parlor,  and 
facing  the  back  parlor  which  opens  into  other  apart- 


90       MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS. 

ments,  through  a  folding  door.  I  have  a  writing  desk 
in  the  rear  parlor  in  which  there  is  a  drawer  containing 
the  articles  I  use ;  and  to  which  I  frequently  go  to  get 
new  articles,  sometimes  getting  rid  of  others  at  the 
same  time.  There  is  also  in  the  center  of  this  back 
parlor  an  ordinary  table,  on  which  I  place  a  porcelain 
skull  open  at  the  top. 

Briefly  stated,  when  I  perform  this  combination  ex- 
periment, I  first  prepare  the  three  sealed  writings  that 
I  am  to  read ;  and  I  then  proceed  to  read  first  the  one 
prepared  last.  I  next  read  the  one  prepared  first ;  and 
then,  after  a  slight  wait,  give  a  slate  writing  experi- 
ment, producing  a  message  signed  by  the  name  of  the 
person  which  the  second  writer  has  written  on  her 
sheet  of  paper,  sealed,  and  kept  in  her  own  possession. 
After  this  I  read  the  writing  of  the  second  writer,  and 
answer  the  question  asked  therein. 

There  is  some  little  time  taken  up  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  different  writings ;  so  in  order  that  the 
spectators  may  not  grow  restless,  and  also  to  give 
them  some  food  for  thought  during  the  wait,  (and  inci- 
dentally to  render  my  task  more  easy  to  accomplish,) 
I  first  perform  Yost's  ''Spiritualistic  Slate  and  Dic- 
tionary" test. 

This  is  a  very  fine  spirit  slate  trick  in  which  three 
slates,  a  flap,  some  other  articles  and  some  excellent 
manipulation  each  play  a  part.  Its  effect  upon  the 
more  intelligent  class  is  very  marked.  This  experi- 
ment convinces  the  spectators  that  the  performer  can 
"do  things"  and  that  they  are  not  wasting  their  time 
in  what  is  to  follow.  It  thus  does  not  allow  the  inter- 
est to  lag  during  the  little  time  required  in  the  prep- 
aration of  the  writings.  It  also  occupies  the  minds 
of  the  spectators  to  such  an  extent  that  what  is  to 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING   OF   SEALED   WRITINGS.        9I 

follow  is  much  more  easily  accomplished.  Further 
on  in  this  work  I  will  describe  and  explain  the  trick 
referred  to  here. 

II. 

I  now  proceed  to  prepare  the  first  writing.  This, 
however,  I  shall  read  second.  I  request  some  lady 
to  be  seated  in  a  chair  in  one  of  the  front  corners  of 
the  front  parlor.  This  places  her  rather  in  the  rear 
of  the  spectators.  I  state  that  this  is  to  prevent  the 
others  from  seeing  what  she  writes. 

I  now  step  to  the  writing  desk  and  bring  forward 
some  envelopes  and  slips  of  paper.  I  hand  an  en- 
velope and  a  slip  of  paper  to  the  lady,  asking  her  to 
write  plainly  on  the  slip  of  paper  some  question  about 
her  future  which  she  would  like  to  have  answered. 
I  ask  her  to  hold  the  paper  in  her  left  hand,  in  such  a 
manner  while  writing  that  neither  the  audience  nor 
myself  can  in  any  manner  see  what  she  is  writing. 
As  she  thus  holds  the  back  of  her  hand  which  con- 
tains the  paper  towards  us,  it  effectually  conceals  her 
writing.  I  pay  no  attention  to  her  while  writing,  ex- 
cept an  occasional  glance  to  see  that  she  complies  with 
my  request. 

As  soon  as  she  finishes  writing,  I  request  her  to  fold 
the  paper  in  half.  This  she  does.  I  now  request  her 
to  fold  it  in  half  the  other  way  and  when  she  does  so, 
I  ask  her  to  place  the  same  in  the  envelope  herself  and 
to  seal  it  herself.  When  she  has  all  ready,  I  direct  her 
to  place  it  in  her  own  pocket  and  keep  it  there  until 
after  I  have  read  it.     I  in  no  way  touch  it. 

When  I  desire  more  questions  to  be  written.  I  pass 
to  other  ladies  with  the  remaining  envelopes  and  slips 
of  paper,  and  have  others  prepared.    I  always  do  this 


92       MEDIUM ISTIC    READING  OF   SEALED   WRITINGS. 

when  performing  from  a  stage ;  or  have  my  assistants 
pass  to  four  or  five  persons  each,  thus  preparing  some 
eight  or  ten  questions  for  me  to  read  mentally.  I, 
however,  rarely  prepare  more  than  one  question  when 
performing  in  parlors,  as  the  time  taken  up  delays  the 
experiment. 

I  now  proceed  to  prepare  the  second  writing  which, 
however,  I  read  last  when  I  have  begun  the  reading. 

I  ask  the  lady,  whom  I  shall  call  Lady  Number  One, 
to  exchange  seats  with  some  other  lady ;  and  this  lady 
I  shall  call  Lady  Number  Two. 

I  next  bring  Lady  Number  Two  an  ordinary  writing 
tablet,  and  ask  her  to  write  on  it  some  question  about 
her  future  which  she  would  like  to  have  answered ; 
and  also  to  write  below  this  question  the  name  of  some 
person  who  is  now  dead,  from  whom  she  would  like 
to  receive  a  message.  I  also  request  her  to  hold  the 
tablet  while  writing  in  such  a  m^anner  that  no  one  can 
see  the  writing,  and  to  use  care  that  no  one  in  any 
way  may  know  what  she  writes.  I  ask  her  to  leave 
a  margin  around  the  sheet  free  from  writing,  to  be 
used  for  folding  purposes ;  and  when  she  is  through 
with  the  writing,  to  tear  off  the  sheet,  fold  It  several 
times,  then  seal  it  in  a  small  envelope  which  I  have 
previously  given  her,  place  the  same  immediately  in 
her  own  pocket  and  keep  it  there  until  I  have  read 
it.  When  she  has  all  prepared,  I  direct  her  to  lay  the 
tablet  on  a  table  that  is  convenient,  and  there  it  re- 
mains throughout  the  evening  in  full  view.  When 
she  lays  it  on  the  table  I  do  not  go  near  it  or  pay  any 
attention  to  it ;  and  it  can  be  examined  thoroughly,  as 
there  is  no  carbon  paper  or  any  similar  thing  about 
it.  I  do  not  especially  call  attention  to  this  fact,  as 
the  suggestion  of  any  possible  trickery  weakens  the 


MEDIUMISTIC  READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS.       93 

eflfect.  However,  on  several  occasions  I  have  noticed 
certain  wise  persons  examining  it  quietly.  This  is  all 
the  preparation  for  Lady  Number  Two's  writing ;  and 
I  now  proceed  to  prepare  the  third  writing,  which 
when  prepared  I  read  as  the  first  reading. 

I  now  bring  from  my  drawer  a  small  card  about 
one  -  thirty  -  second  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  red  on 
one  side  and  white  on  the  other.  These  are  cut  from 
ordinary  cardboard,  obtainable  in  any  printing  office. 
I  ask  some  gentleman  whom.  I  regard  as  particularly 
intelligent,  or  as  hard  to  deceive,  to  kindly  take  his 
seat  in  the  center  of  the  rear  end  of  the  front  parlor. 

I  ask  him  to  write  across  the  card  the  name  of  some 
great  man,  statesman,  or  politician,  any  one  of  whom 
he  can  think,  living  or  dead ;  only  I  ask  him  to  write 
the  name  plainly  in  a  bold  hand,  and  to  be  very  care- 
ful that  no  one  sees  what  he  writes.  I  also  give  him 
some  article,  it  makes  no  difference  what,  (usually  one 
of  the  slates  used  in  the  "Spirit  Dictionary"  trick,)  on 
which  to  place  the  card  while  writing.  I  ask  him 
when  through  to  turn  the  card  over  face  downward 
on  the  slate,  turning  it  over  towards  himself  and  not 
towards  the  audience,  as  otherwise  they  might  see  the 
writing.  This  he  does.  While  he  is  preparing  this 
card  I  return  to  the  rear  parlor  to  the  drawer  to  get 
some  other  articles,  and  pay  no  attention  to  him  until 
the  card  is  written  and  turned  over,  and  until  he  in- 
forms me  of  that  fact. 

I  now  come  forward  with  an  envelope  into  which  the 
card  will  fit  nicely;  and  presenting  it  to  him  open, 
flap  side  toward  him  and  face  downward,  I  ask  him  to 
insert  the  card  himself,  keeping  the  writing  downward 
while  so  doing.     I  merely  ask  the  privilege  of  touch- 


94       MEDIUM ISTIC    READING   OF   SEALED    WRITINGS. 

ing  the  card  with  the  tip  of  my  finger  as  he  is  passing 
it  into  the  envelope. 

I  next  request  him  to  seal  the  envelope  himself,  to 
place  it  on  the  slate  sealed  side  upward,  and  to  make 
certain  marks  across  the  sealed  parts  so  that  he  can 
tell  if  I  should  tamper  with  the  same.  I  now  bring 
forward  a  seal  and  some  sealing  wax.  I  give  him 
the  seal  previously  moistened,  and  proceed  to  melt  the 
wax,  allowing  it  to  drop  on  the  center  of  the  envelope. 
At  the  same  time  I  request  him  to  seal  the  envelope 
doubly,  and  to  examine  the  seals  so  thoroughly  that 
there  can  be  no  possibility  of  substitution.  When  all 
is  prepared  I  am  ready  to  begin  the  readings. 

III. 

I  now  take  the  gentleman's  envelope  in  the  tips  of 
my  fingers ;  and,  stepping  to  the  center  table  of  the 
second  parlor,  I  lean  it  against  the  skull  previously 
mentioned,  so  that  the  wax  seal  faces  the  audience, 
while  all  is  in  the  brightest  light. 

I  instantly  return  to  the  front  parlor;  and,  seating 
myself  facing  the  spectators,  I  pay  no  attention  to  the 
sealed  envelope  resting  against  the  skull  in  the  back 
parlor.  This  requires  not  over  two  seconds  of  time, 
there  being  no  pause  whatever  in  my  movements. 

I  proceed  to  make  passes  over  my  own  face  in  a 
manner  similar  to  those  which  the  early  mesmerists 
made  over  their  subjects.  I  simulate  considerable 
nervousness,  allow  my  shoulders  to  be  convulsed  a  time 
or  two,  gaze  toward  the  ceiling  as  if  looking  into  in- 
finity, and  begin  my  attempt  to  read.  I  first  request 
the  writer  not  to  answer  any  questions  I  may  ask,  ex- 
cept those  I  may  ask  him  directly.    This  prevents  him 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF   SEALED   WRITINGS.        95 

from  answering  the  first  questions  I  ask  and  which 
I  am  directing  to  some  unseen  being. 

I  hold  my  hand  to  my  ear,  d  la  Schlessinger.  Al- 
lowing it  to  tremble  violently,  I  ask  the  unseen  spirits 
if  the  name  written  on  the  card  is  the  name  of  a  per- 
son living  or  dead.  I  apparently  hear  an  answer  which 
the  spectators  do  not  hear,  for  I  turn  to  the  writer  and 
with  great  solemnity  inform  him  that  he  has  written 
the  name  of  one  who  is  now  dead.  This  of  course  is 
supposing  that  he  did  write  the  name  of  a  dead  person. 
If  the  person  should  happen  to  be  living,  I  with  the 
same  solemnity  announce  that  fact  to  him. 

Let  us  now  suppose  that  the  name  written  is  that  of 
Aaron  Burr.  I  again  turn  to  the  spirits  and  ask  if  the 
person  whose  name  is  written  died  more  than  one 
thousand  years  ago.  When  they  answer  me  I  turn 
to  the  writer  informing  him  that  the  person  whose 
name  he  has  written  died  less  than  one  thousand  years 
ago.  I  then  ask  the  spirits  if  this  man  died  in  the  last 
five  hundred  years  and  get  the  answer  that  he  died  in 
the  last  century.  This  I  also  give  in  a  dramatic  man- 
ner. I  then  say,  while  gazing  into  emptiness,  *T  see 
before  me  a  man  who  is  'small  in  stature  and  slight  in 
figure  but  with  a  face  finely  cut  and  almost  classic  in 
its  mold.'  He  wears  no  beard,  his  hair  is  brushed 
back  from  over  a  wide  forehead,  and  he  regards  me 
with  a  pair  of  beautiful  eyes.  There  is  a  look  of  in- 
effable sadness  on  his  face,  as  if  there  were  something 
he  would  have  undone.  He  wears  a  coat  of  black 
velvet,  with  black  velvet  knee  breeches,  black  silk 
stockings  and  shoes  with  silver  buckles.  I  see  behind 
him  a  beautiful  lady  who  regards  him  with  a  look  of 
infinite  tenderness  and  pity.  She  appears  to  be  a 
daughter." 


g6       MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS. 

The  effect  of  this  is  very  fine,  as  the  writer  corrobo- 
rates my  statements,  or  else  states  that  he  himself  is 
not  familiar  with  the  personal  appearance  of  the  one 
whose  name  he  has  written. 

I  now  attempt  to  read  the  writing.  I  begin  by  look- 
ing into  space  and  repeating  the  letters  of  the  alpha- 
bet. I  finally  get  the  letter  A.  I  repeat  the  process. 
When  about  to  get  the  second  letter  a,  and  while 
making  great  efforts  to  get  it  and  seeming  rather  un- 
certain, I  request  the  writer  to  be  so  kind  as  to  step 
to  the  table  and  bring  his  envelope  and  hold  it  on  the 
top  of  my  head.  This  he  does  while  I  close  my  eyes, 
and  proceed  with  slight  effort  to  read  the  complete 
name. 

I  offer  him  a  knife  and  ask  him  to  open  the  enve- 
lope and  see  if  his  card  is  still  within  untouched,  which 
of  course  it  is.  I  also  ask  him  to  examine  the  seal  and 
the  envelope,  and  to  hold  the  same  close  to  the  light 
and  see  if  it  is  possible  to  read  the  writing  through 
the  envelope.  This  he  and  the  spectators  do,  and  of 
course  find  everything  as  it  should  be  and  the  writing 
perfectly  invisible.  When  he  returns  the  envelope  to 
me  I  offer  it  to  him  to  keep  as  a  souvenir,  which  gen- 
erally is  accepted  gladly  by  him. 

I  am  now  ready  to  read  the  writing  of  Lady  Number 
One  and  answer  the  question  she  has  written.  I  ask 
her  if  she  still  has  concealed  about  her  the  writing 
which  she  sealed  and  retained  herself.  She  replies  in 
the  affirmative.  I  then  ask  her  if  any  one  in  the  world 
knows  what  she  has  written.  Upon  her  informing  me 
that  no  one  knows,  and  of  the  impossibility  of  such 
a  thing  being  the  case,  I  ask  her  what  she  will  think 
if  I  now  succeed  in  reading, her  question  without  go- 
ing near  her,  while  she  retains  the  same  in  her  own 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING   OF   SEALED    WRITINGS.        97 

pocket.  The  spectators  generally  express  their  in- 
credulity as  to  the  possibility  of  such  a  proceeding, 
upon  which  I  inform  them  that  I  will  make  the  effort. 

I  ask  the  lady,  in  order  to  remove  the  idea  of  mind- 
reading  or  telepathy,  to  keep  her  mind  entirely  off 
what  she  has  written.  I  then  make  the  second  effort, 
assuming  an  air  of  great  earnestness.  I  slowly  read  her 
question  letter  by  letter,  and  give  a  full  and  minute 
description  of  the  writing,  the  style  of  letters  used 
and  any  peculiarities  of  any  of  the  letters.  The  effect 
of  this  can  well  be  imagined. 

I  now  ask  her  to  open  her  envelope,  to  examine  it 
carefully  and  see  if  I  am  correct,  and  to  exhibit  the 
same  to  the  spectators.  This  she  does,  while  I  stand 
at  a  distance  repeating  the  peculiarities  of  the  strokes 
of  the  letters,  etc.,  for  their  verification.  I  never  look 
at  the  writing  at  all  even  after  reading  it.  I  simply 
pay  no  attention  to  it,  as  my  mysterious  power  of 
vision  is  now  superior  to  the  sight  of  mortal  eyes. 

I  now  tell  Lady  Number  Two  to  continue  to  keep 
her  writing  concealed,  and  that  I  will  use  it  shortly ; 
whereupon  I  freqently  have  a  selection  of  music ;  or  if 
not,  I  allow  the  spectators  a  minute  or  two  of  time 
in  which  to  consider  and  talk  over  what  they  have  just 

seen. 

*     *     * 

I  am  now  ready  to  produce  a  spirit  message  for 
Lady  Number  Two,  signed  by  the  name  which  is  writ- 
ten below  her  question  on  her  concealed  paper ;  and  to 
read  and  answer  her  question. 

I  arrange  a  table  just  inside  the  back  parlor,  side- 
wise  to  the  spectators,  placing  a  chair  on  each  side  of 
the  table  and  two  slates  on  the  table.  I  ask  Lady 
Number  Two  to  come  forward,  take  the  chair  next 


98       MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS. 

the  audience  and  to  clean  the  slates.  As  she  does 
this  I  seat  myself  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  table. 

As  soon  as  she  cleans  them,  we  place  the  slates 
under  the  table;  and  I  ask  her  to  hold  them  while  I 
place  my  hands  on  the  table  top.  In  a  few  moments, 
under  my  instructions,  she  brings  from  under  the  table 
the  slates,  on  which  is  a  fine  spirit  message  of  philo- 
sophical import,  to  which  is  signed  the  dead  person's 
name  which  she  has  written  on  the  sheet  of  paper  and 
which  she  still  retains  sealed.  The  effect  of  this  upon 
her,  and  upon  her  friends  who  may  have  known  this 
person,  is  very  great ;  especially  as  it  is  some  one  of 
whom  I  have  never  heard.  I  have  very  frequently 
known  some  of  the  spectators,  who  happened  to  be  ac- 
quainted with  the  person  whose  name  is  signed  to  the 
message,  to  identify  the  writing  and  sometimes  to  iden- 
tify the  language  as  that  of  the  dead  person. 

I  next,  with  some  little  effort,  proceed  mentally  to 
read  her  question,  minutely  describing  the  writing,  etc. 
I  then  ask  her  to  bring  out  the  envelope,  exhibit  the 
writing  and  verify  my  statements,  which  she  does.  I 
now  proceed  to  answer  her  question ;  and  if  I  have  not 
previously  done  so,  to  answer  the  question  of  Lady 
Number  One.  Let  us  suppose  the  question  asked  is, 
"Will  I  ever  be  wealthy?"  I  first  consult  the  ''Mystic 
Oracle  of  the  Crystal  Spheres."  I  place  on  the  table 
a  highly  polished  crystal  globe  three  inches  in  diam- 
eter, such  as  is  used  for  experiments  in  "Crystal  Gaz- 
ing." This  globe  is  supported  by  a  bronze  griffon. 
I  have  the  lady  gaze  into  the  globe  while  I  intently 
look  into  it  from  the  opposite  side.  I  then  with  solem- 
nity inform  her  that  she  will  never  be  wealthy  but  that 
she  will  be  "well-to-do." 

I  assure  my  readers  that  the  effect  of  this  all  is  just 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS.       99 

as  great  as  if  I  really  performed  by  some  occult  power 
that  which  in  reality  I  have  but  performed  by  trickery 
of  the  simplest  kind.  I  would  have  no  trouble  in  pass- 
ing it  off  on  the  majority  of  my  spectators  as  the  work 
entirely  of  spirits.  The  experiments  are  so  superior  to 
those  usually  employed  by  mediums,  that  the  audience 
is  simply  confounded.  Also,  there  is  abundant  oppor- 
tunity after  reading  the  dead  statesman's  name,  to  call 
him  up  in  the  manner  so  common  with  mediums  and 
give  the  audience  an  elaborate  message  from  him,  which 
will  have  much  weight  with  them,  owing  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  his  spirit  has  been  summoned  from  the 
land  of  shadows.  However,  I  will  say  that  while  I 
use  these  things  in  the  manner  outlined,  after  all  is 
over  I  assure  my  audience  that  it  is  not  spirit  power 
which  I  use;  but  I  do  not  tell  them  it  is  trickery,  as 
that  would  detract  from  the  effect.  I  simply  let  them 
speculate  and  think  what  they  please ;  and  I  not  in- 
frequently find  them  determined,  notwithstanding  my 
statement  to  the  contrary,  to  believe  that  it  is  the  work 
of  spirits,  or  else  some  occult  power  which  I  possess. 
I  have  had  intelligent  and  wealthy  business  men  of 
Omaha  and  other  places  question  me,  afterwards,  about 
the  apparently  marvelous  power  which  they  seem  to 
think  I  possess. 

At  one  time  I  gave  to  the  sisters  of  a  Catholic  school, 
or  convent,  one  of  my  entertainments.  I  had  the 
Mother  Superior  write  and  seal  the  great  man's  name. 
The  name  she  wrote  was  "Hannibal,"  which  of  course 
I  read  for  them  very  successfully.  I  was  some  time 
afterwards  informed,  privately,  that  one  of  the  sisters 
ever  after  insisted  that  I  was  in  league  with  His  Sa- 
tanic Majesty.  This  was  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
in  this  particular  instance  I  had  assured  them  that  it 


ICX)     MEDIUM ISTIC   READING   OF   SEALED   WRITINGS. 

was  nothing  but  trickery.  I  knew  the  teachings  of  the 
Roman  Church  in  regard  to  anything  hke  sorcery,  or 
necromancy,  or  even  modern  spirituahsm ;  and  not  de- 
siring to  give  offense,  I  stated  in  advance  that  I  was 
merely  illustrating  what  might  be  done  by  trickery 
and  how  good  people  might  be  imposed  upon  by  im- 
postors. I  stated  that  such  things  were  never  done  by 
spirit  power;  and  the  Mother  Superior  remarked  that 
she  was  sure,  if  spirits  did  such  things,  they  were  only 
"evil  spirits."  In  this  case  I  only  gave  the  single  read- 
ing of  the  statesman's  name  as  described  above.  I  do 
not  know  what  would  have  been  the  result,  had  I  per- 
formed the  complete  combination  experiment,  with  all 
the  dramatic  play  I  usually  employ. 

The  description  given  above  is  the  exact  appearance 
of  the  experiments  as  seen  by  the  audience.  This  is 
exactly  what  the  spectators  see  or  think  they  see ;  and 
it  is  all  that  any  of  them  do  see.  However,  things  are 
not  always  just  what  they  appear  to  be. 

IV. 

And  now  to  tear  down  the  structure  I  have  erected 
— to  shatter  the  idols,  and  return  from  the  romantic 
land  of  mystery  to  the  commonplace  things  of  earth. 

I  will  proceed  to  explain  the  principles  and  the  meth- 
ods I  really  employ  in  reading  these  writings.  The 
readers  of  this  work  who  desire  to  fully  grasp  the  ex- 
planations I  am  about  to  give  should  either  memorize 
the  description  of  the  experiments,  or  else  refer  to  each 
one  separately  when  reading  the  explanation  of  that 
particular  one. 

I  will  give  the  explanation  of  the  different  tricks  as 
far  as  I  am  at  liberty  to  do  so,  and  in  the  order  in 
which  I  read  them.    I  will  explain  each  one  separately 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF   SEALED   WRITINGS.     lOI 

beginning  with  the  reading  of  the  statesman's  name, 
which  was  the  third  writing  in  the  preparation. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  after  this  envelope  is 
properly  sealed  with  wax,  I  take  it  in  my  fingers  and 
carry  it  to  the  table  in  the  back  parlor,  and  lean  it 
against  the  skull.  The  principle  used  consists  in  this 
instance  in  rendering  the  envelope  temporarily  trans- 
parent, and  instantly  reading  the  writing  in  it  unseen 
by  the  spectators,  while  on  my  way  to  the  table. 

I  use,  for  this,  "Colonial  Spirits,"  which  is  an  odor- 
less wood  alcohol  manufactured  in  this  country.  If 
a  sponge  saturated  with  this  be  rubbed  across  any  piece 
of  paper,  it  is  rendered  instantly  transparent,  as  soon 
as  moistened ;  and  any  writing  under  it  can  be  easily 
read.  In  a  few  moments  the  alcohol  evaporates,  and 
the  transparent  condition  of  the  paper  disappears.  This 
principle  has  been  known  for  some  time  in  the  world 
of  magic,  but  not  in  the  particular  way  in  which  I  use 
it;  and  therefore  it  has  not  usually  been  worked  so 
successfully. 

I  accomplish  my  object  in  the  following  manner.  I 
have  in  the  drawer  with  my  paraphernalia  a  half  ounce 
round  tin  box  such  as  druggists  use  for  vaseline  and 
similar  articles.  I  have  crowded  into  this  box  a  small 
silk  sponge  which  fills  it  a  little  above  the  edges  like 
an  envelope  moistener.  I  have  soldered  to  the  bottom 
of  this  box  on  the  outside,  a  circular  disk  of  tin  for  the 
purpose  of  ''palming."  This  box  I  prepare  in  advance 
just  before  the  experiment  by  saturating  the  sponge  in 
it  with  colonial  spirits.  I  leave  the  lid  on  the  box  to 
prevent  evaporation  until  I  am  ready  for  it. 

When  I  have  the  envelope  sealed  with  wax,  I  return 
the  sealing  wax  and  the  seal  to  the  drawer  in  the 
writing  desk ;  and  this  gives  me  the  opportunity  to 


I02     MEDIUMISTIC   READING   OF   SEALED   WRITINGS. 

palm  and  go  forward  with  the  box  containing  the 
saturated  sponge.  I  allow  my  right  hand,  which  con- 
tains it,  to  hang  carelessly  against  my  right  side.  This 
effectually  conceals  it,  and  I  avoid  looking  toward 
my  right  hand  in  any  manner.  I  advance  leisurely 
to  the  writer  and  ask  him  if  he  is  sure  he  can  be  certain 
of  the  identity  of  the  wax  seal,  and  if  he  could  tell  if 
the  same  should  be  broken.  I  now  take  the  envelope 
from  him  with  my  left  hand,  and  turn  around  carrying 
it  to  the  table.  On  the  way,  as  soon  as  the  envelope 
is  out  of  the  angle  of  view  of  the  spectators,  I  raise  my 
right  hand,  and,  passing  the  sponge  over  the  face  of 
the  envelope  a  couple  of  times,  quickly  read  the  name 
under  the  bright  light  of  a  gasoline  pressure  lamp  with 
which  for  such  occasions  I  have  my  parlor  lighted. 

Having  the  writer  choose  the  name  of  a  statesman 
or  some  great  man,  greatly  facilitates  the  reading;  as 
the  names  written  are  usually  so  familiar  that  the 
merest  glance  is  sufficient  to  read  them.  I  then,  as 
soon  as  I  reach  the  table,  turn  half  around  so  that  my 
left  side  faces  the  audience ;  and  with  my  left  hand 
still  holding  the  envelope  with  the  seal  towards  the 
spectators,  I  stand  it  on  the  table  against  the  skull, 
asking  the  spectators  if  they  can  plainly  see  the  seal 
from  there. 

The  envelope  has  only  been  out  of  the  view  of  the 
spectators  a  fraction  over  a  second ;  yet  I  now  know 
the  name  on  the  card.  Meanwhile,  with  the  right  hand 
I  secretly  drop  the  moistener  into  my  right  coat  pocket, 
or  preferably  into  a  small  bag  at  the  back  of  the  table 
behind  the  skull.  If  I  use  the  bag  at  the  back  of  the 
table,  I  have  it  suspended  open  from  a  pivoted  wire, 
so  that  I  can  quickly  swing  it  under  the  table  out  of 
view  with  the  fingers  of  my  right  hand.     This  I  do, 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF   SEALED   WRITINGS.     IO3 

after  dropping  the  molstener  into  it ;  and  at  the  same 
time  with  the  left  hand  I  place  the  envelope  against 
the  skull,  and  direct  the  attention  of  the  spectators 
to  the  seal  by  my  discourse,  and  by  my  looks.  I  in  no 
way  look  toward  my  right  hand.  Swinging  the  cloth 
bag  under  the  table,  makes  it  safe  for  the  writer  of 
the  name  to  go  to  the  table  and  get  the  envelope  when 
I  request  him  to  do  so.  I  make  all  of  my  movements 
leisurely,  throughout  the  entire  experiment ;  as  by  so 
doing  I  can  have  a  little  more  time  when  walking  to 
the  table  with  the  envelope,  and  yet  not  attract  the 
attention  of  the  spectators  to  this  fact. 

For  the  dramatic  play,  it  is  necessary  to  have  a 
previous  knowledge  of  the  personal  appearance  and 
history  of  the  great  men  of  the  country  whose  names 
are  most  liable  to  be  written.  The  time  required  in  the 
dramatic  play  before  the  reading  allows  the  alcohol 
to  thoroughly  dry ;  so  that  there  is  no  trace  of  it  when 
the  writer  of  the  name  goes  to  the  table  after  it.  By 
using  colonial  spirits  there  is  no  odor  noticeable.  It 
is  safe  to  say  that  in  a  few  seconds  after  the  sponge 
is  passed  over  it,  the  moistened  side  of  the  envelope 
could  be  turned  towards  the  audience ;  and  nothing 
would  be  detected,  as  the  alcohol  evaporates  so  quickly. 
I  use  a  small  envelope  of  wove  paper  of  sufficient 
thickness  to  effectually  conceal  the  writing  in  the 
strongest  light.  I  found  it  necessary  to  use  a  card,  the 
white  side  of  which  is  not  glazed  and  which  has  a 
slightly  dirty  color;  as  otherwise  the  writing  would 
be  slightly  visible  through  the  envelope,  and  thus  mar 
the  effect  of  the  experiment.  If  a  thicker  envelope  is 
used,  a  whiter  card  may  be  used  also ;  but  a  thick  en- 
velope is  not  rendered  so  transparent  as  a  thinner  one. 
I  use  two  styles  of  envelopes, — a  thin  one  where  the 


104     MEDIUMISTIC   READING   OF   SEALED   WRITINGS. 

lights  are  not  strong,  and  a  thicker  one  if  the  Hghts 
are  strong.  I  hke  to  use  stationery  that  can  afterwards 
be  inspected  by  daylight;  so,  therefore,  at  my  home 
I  use  a  gasoline  pressure  lamp  on  such  occasions,  as 
a  strong  light  in  the  room  permits  the  use  of  an  en- 
velope of  sufficient  thickness.  I  also  select  a  style  of 
envelope  that  does  not  expand  or  pucker  from  the 
effects  of  the  alcohol,  and  thus  arouse  suspicion. 

When  I  have  the  writer  turn  the  card  over  on  the 
slate  tozvards  himself  and  not  towards  the  spectators, 
this  is  in  reality  to  insure  having  the  writing  right  side 
up  when  I  afterwards  pass  the  moistener  over  the  en- 
velope. I  present  the  envelope  to  him  open,  flap  side 
towards  himself,  face  downward,  and  hold  it  until  he 
has  started  the  card  into  it.  When  I  ask  permission 
to  merely  touch  the  card  on  its  way  into  the  envelope 
with  the  tip  of  my  finger,  I  do  this  to  insure  the  card 
going  into  the  envelope  with  writing  towards  the  front 
side.  When  I  afterwards  pick  up  the  envelope  I  notice 
which  is  the  flap  he  has  just  sealed,  and  I  have  this 
flap  uppermost.  This  brings  the  writing  right  side 
up  in  my  hand,  and  saves  the  time  necessary  to  turn 
the  envelope  when  reading  it. 

I  furnish  the  writer  with  a  large-leaded  soft  pencil, 
not  too  sharp,  to  write  with,  though  any  pencil  will 
do.  However,  a  pencil  of  above  description  makes  the 
writing  plainer  and  in  a  larger  hand,  which  is  of  con- 
siderable assistance  in  reading  the  writing  so  quickly. 
The  reader  will  remember,  that  I  also  request  the 
writer  to  write  the  name  in  a  bold  hand  plainly. 

Should  one  reach  the  table  before  succeeding  m 
reading  the  name,  it  were  better  to  make  a  slight  pause 
than  to  fail  with  the  trick.  However,  after  a  few  trials 
this  will  never  happen. 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS.     IO5 

Immediately  after  leaning  the  envelope  against  the 
skull,  I  return  to  the  front  parlor  and  proceed  with  the 
readings  as  given  in  the  description  of  the  appearance 
of  the  experiments. 

While  considerable  time  is  required  to  read  this 
chapter,  much  less  time  is  required  in  giving  the  read- 
ings. Only  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  is  required  for 
the  entire  combination  experiment. 

The  principle  of  using  odorless  alcohol  on  a  sponge 
has  been  published  before,  but  as  heretofore  described 
I  have  never  found  the  trick  practicable.  As  furnished 
by  the  vendor,  the  instructions  are  for  the  performer 
to  have  several  of  these  envelopes  prepared  by  himself 
or  his  assistant ;  and  to  have  them  placed  flat  on  a  table, 
at  which  the  performer  seats  himself.  He  now  partly 
closes  his  eyes ;  but  in  reality  he  can  see  the  envelopes 
all  the  time.  Then  he  slowly  passes  the  hand  with 
the  sponge  over  the  different  envelopes,  reading  aloud 
the  writing  therein.  It  is  intended  to  convey  the  idea 
to  spectators  that  by  passing  the  hand  over  the  enve- 
lopes the  performer  gets  en  rapport  with  them.  This 
method  is  obviously  for  the  stage  only,  as  in  a  parlor 
the  spectators  could  see  the  effect  of  the  alcohol.  I 
have  never  found  this  method  very  practicable ;  and  I 
assure  my  readers  that  in  the  method  I  have  described, 
less  time  is  taken  up  and  a  much  finer  effect  obtained. 
It  is  also  much  more  certain  of  success,  and  leaves  the 
spectators  absolutely  in  the  dark  as  to  the  method  em- 
ployed. 

I  have  frequently  performed  these  readings  in  audi- 
ences where  are  persons  who  have  seen  me  perform 
them  before ;  and  in  such  cases  they  invariably  inform 
me  that  they  are  more  mystified  than  they  were  in  the 
first  place. 


I06    MEDIUM ISTIC   READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS. 

The  secrets  of  the  remaining  experiments,  so  far  as 
I  know,  have  never  been  given  to  the  public.  The 
principle  that  is  used  in  the  production  of  each  of  them 
is  entirely  different;  therefore,  if  a  spectator  should 
ever  surmise  the  principle  used  in  one  of  them,  the 
moment  he  should  try  to  explain  the  others  by  it,  he 
would  see  that  it  would  not  work ;  and  he  would  con- 
clude that  he  was  entirely  wrong. 


And  now  in  regard  to  the  principle  which  I  use  in 
reading  the  writing  of  Lady  Number  One,  I  am  sorry 
to  say  I  must  here  disappoint  my  reader.  I  am  under 
a  promise  to  the  dealer  not  to  reveal  this  secret  and 
can  not  do  so.  Those  who  desire  to  use  it,  however, 
can  obtain  it  from  George  L.  Williams  &  Co.,  7145 
Champlain  Ave.,  Chicago,  111.  I  regard  this  as  one  of 
the  best  tricks  extant,  and  regret  my  inability  to  give 
its  secret  to  my  readers. 

After  the  preparation  of  the  writing  for  Lady  Num- 
ber One,  I  immediately  go  ahead  with  the  preparation 
of  the  writing  for  Lady  Number  Two.  I  will  now 
give  the  secret  of  this  reading  as  completely  as  my 
promise  permits  me  to  do. 

In  this  experiment  the  secret  lies  in  getting  an  im- 
pression of  the  writing,  but  not  a  carbon  impression. 
This  impression  can  not  be  seen  by  the  eye  at  all,  but 
has  to  be  "developed"  afterwards.  This  is  really  a 
very  fine  idea  and  was  originally  intended  for  pro- 
fessional mediums  to  use  in  tests  with  their  subjects 
at  private  sittings.  The  tablet  is  apparently  unpre- 
pared and  would  stand  the  most  thorough  inspection, 
yet  there  is  a  preparation. 

I  will  first  describe  the  preparation  of  the  tablet,  and 


MEDIUMISTIC  READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS.     I07 

then  I  will  describe  how  I  obtain  possession  of  it  and 
how  I  develop  the  writing. 

I  use  for  this  experiment  a  finely  finished  and  highly 
glazed  paper.  I  take  one  sheet  of  it  and  prepare  one 
side  of  it  by  rubbing  it  over  thoroughly  with  a  material 
common  enough  to  be  within  every  one's  reach;  but 
the  vendor  of  tricks  might  deem  it  a  violation  of  my 
promise  if  I  were  to  give  its  name,  although  the  secret 
to  this  part  of  the  trick  has  been  well  known  for  some 
time,  and  has  even  been  published.  It  leaves  a  per- 
fectly smooth  surface.  Only  one  in  the  secret  could 
discover  that  there  is  a  preparation.  Even  I  am  fre- 
quently puzzled  to  tell  which  is  the  prepared  side,  and 
can  only  do  so  by  holding  it  so  that  the  light  strikes 
it  at  the  proper  angle. 

This  sheet  is  now  to  be  placed  on  the  tablet,  prepared 
side  down ;  but,  before  doing  so,  I  first  touch  the  two 
corners  of  the  two  top  sheets  of  paper  on  the  tablet 
with  library  paste.  I  do  this  so  that  they  will  adhere 
to  each  other  a  trifle,  as  this  prevents  the  lady  from 
tearing  off  by  accident  the  sheet  which  bears  the 
record,  when  afterwards  she  tears  off  the  prepared 
sheet  bearing  her  question. 

I  now  place  the  prepared  sheet  in  position,  prepared 
side  down,  and  paste  the  top  in  position  with  white 
library  paste.  However,  I  allow  this  sheet  to  protrude 
at  the  bottom  about  one-thirty-second  of  an  inch.  This 
is  to  make  it  so  easy  for  the  lady  to  get  hold  of  it, 
that  she  will  be  in  no  danger  of  tearing  off  more  than 
the  one.  Of  course,  when  she  writes,  the  writing  is 
transferred  to  the  second  sheet,  but  it  is  entirely  in- 
visible. 

After  she  has  written,  I  direct  her  to  lay  the  tablet 
on  a  table  which  is  convenient;  and  it  apparently  lies 


I08    MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS. 

there  throughout  the  evening.  This  is  the  point  where 
I  begin  the  preparation  of  the  writing  of  the  states- 
man's name,  immediately  thereafter  giving  the  first 
two  readings.  I  only  after  the  -first  tzuo  readings  ob- 
tain possession  of  this  tablet  and  develop  the  writing. 

I  do  it  in  this  manner.  I  bring  forward  two  slates, 
which  I  shall  soon  use  in  the  slate  writing  experiment, 
and  leave  them  on  the  center  table  in  the  front  parlor. 
Under  one  is  a  duplicate  tablet,  which  I  also  leave  on 
the  table,  unnoticed  by  the  spectators.  I  remove  the 
slates  used  in  the  dictionary  trick,  carrying  away  under 
one  of  them  the  original  tablet.  Meanwhile,  the  spec- 
tators are  deeply  engaged  in  a  discussion  of  the  two 
readings  I  have  just  given  them ;  and  I  inform  Lady 
Number  Two  that  I  will  read  her  question  a  little 
later,  and  for  her  to  keep  it  in  her  possession  until  I 
have  done  so. 

I  now  go  to  other  apartments  for  a  few  moments  to 
develop  the  record.  I  use  for  a  holder  for  the  sheet 
of  paper  while  working  with  it,  the  frame  of  a  slate 
of  proper  size  with  the  slate  portion  removed.  I  fasten 
the  sheet  in  position  on  this  frame  with  a  couple  of 
pins,  using  care  to  keep  the  side  with  the  record  on  it 
upwards;  because  if  it  gets  turned  over,  I  can  in  no 
way  discover  the  fact  until  it  is  too  late. 

The  writing  may  be  developed  in  several  ways;  the 
best  way  and  the  one  I  generally  use,  I  can  not  reveal 
on  account  of  my  promise  of  secrecy  to  the  firm  before 
referred  to.  I  will,  however,  give  a  method  which  is 
well  known  to  many  mediums,  and  which  has  been 
used  by  them  for  a  number  of  years. 

I  merely  dust  a  little  powdered  plumbago,  or  a  little 
lampblack  on  to  the  sheet  of  paper,  shake  it  around 
and  then  turn  it  over  a  vessel  and  dust  it  off  by  strik- 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF   SEALED   WRITINGS.     IO9 

ing  the  paper  very  lightly  with  my  finger  nail.  The 
writing  will  appear  on  the  sheet  plainly  and  may  be 
read.  The  method  furnished  by  the  above  named 
firm,  however,  is  much  superior  to  this  method. 

I  quickly  memorize  the  question ;  and  on  a  slate 
close  at  hand,  where  I  have  a  message  already  pre- 
pared, I  sign  the  name  of  the  dead  person.  This  slate 
is  an  exact  duplicate  in  appearance,  of  the  two  slates 
which  were  left  on  the  table  in  the  front  parlor. 

I  now  proceed  to  prepare  the  Spirit  Slate  experi- 
ment, and  give  the  final  reading;  but  before  describ- 
ing this,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  slate  tricks  of  which 
I  know,  I  will  give  a  little  additional  information  re- 
lating to  the  last  reading  experiment. 

I  was  told  to  use  a  tablet  with  every  sheet  prepared, 
but  I  first  prepared  only  every  alternate  sheet  and  left 
the  rest  unprepared.  This  worked  nicely ;  but  as  soon 
as  the  tablet  was  used  a  few  times,  I  found  that  all 
the  questions  that  had  previously  been  written  on  the 
tablet  were  copied  for  several  sheets  down.  This 
caused  so  many  words  to  appear,  that  I  was  com- 
pelled to  discard  all  prepared  sheets,  excepting  one, 
as  I  have  above  described.  A  tablet  could  be  prepared 
with  two  prepared  sheets  on  top  and  an  unprepared 
sheet  between  them.  There  would  then  be  two  im- 
pressions on  unprepared  sheets  in  the  tablet,  but  it 
would  be  necessary  to  discard  all  these  top  sheets  after 
each  reading. 

This  trick,  however,  was  originally  intended  for  the 
use  of  professional  mediums  at  private  sittings  with 
a  single  person.  In  such  cases,  after  the  sitter  has 
written  and  sealed  his  question,  he  is  directed  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  mantel  and  clean  and  examine  some  slates. 
While  he  is  doing  so,  the  medium  takes  the  tablet  from 


no    MEDIUMISTIC  READING  OF  SEALED  WRITINGS. 

the  table  and  places  the  same  quickly  in  a  large  pocket 
on  the  inside  of  his  coat,  taking  therefrom  and  leav- 
ing on  the  table  a  duplicate.  He  then  advances  to  the 
sitter  and  begins  a  lecture,  when  his  doorbell  rings. 
As  his  servant  fails  to  answer  the  bell  the  medium 
excuses  himself  for  a  moment,  and  attends  to  the 
matter  himself,  engaging  in  a  discussion  with  the 
servant  while  out,  for  not  properly  attending  to  the 
door.  This  he  does  within  hearing  of  the  sitter. 
Meanwhile  he  is  rapidly  developing  and  reading  the 
record. 

This  method  I  never  liked,  as  it  requires  the  assist- 
ance of  another  person.  I  much  prefer  the  method 
I  have  outlined. 

*     *     * 

And  now  for  the  Spirit  Slate  Message.  I  use  three 
slates,  but  the  spectators  never  see  more  than  two  of 
them  at  one  time.  I  make  an  exchange  of  one  of  the 
slates,  unknown  to  the  sitter  or  spectators.  The  table 
is  an  ordinary  one,  and  I  do  not  conceal  the  prepared 
slate  on  the  person.  The  secret  lies  in  the  chair  I  sit 
on.  The  slate  is  concealed  under  the  seat  on  a  shelf. 
Just  above  this  shelf  is  another  shelf  onto  which  I 
slip  the  unprepared  slate  when  I  make  the  exchange. 
These  shelves  can  not  be  seen  as  the  chair  is  one  of  the 
variety  known  as  "box  seat."  One  of  the  sides,  the 
right  one,  can  be  raised  up  to  admit  the  hand  to  the 
shelves.  This  side  is  hung  on  hinges  at  the  top,  but 
they  can  not  be  seen. 

I  prepare  the  chair  as  follows:  I  get  a  nicely  fin- 
ished, box  seat,  oak,  dining  chair.  I  remove  the  cane 
seat  and  replace  it  with  a  beautiful  leather  cobbler 
seat.  This  renders  what  is  underneath  invisible.  I 
now,  with  a  fine-tooth  saw,  neatly  saw  the  ends  of 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING  OF  SEALED   WRITINGS.     Ill 

the  box  strip  underneath  the  right  side  of  the  seat, 
where  they  enter  the  legs  of  the  chair.  I  remove  this 
strip,  which  is  some  two  inches  wide.  It  is  too  thick ; 
so  with  a  saw  I  spHt  the  piece  lengthwise,  from  end 
to  end,  so  as  to  leave  it  only  about  one-half  inch  thick. 
It  remains,  of  course,  full  two  inches  wide,  and  I  am 
careful  not  to  mar  the  finish. 

I  hinge  it  back  in  place  with  three  small  hinges,  at 
its  top,  so  that  I  can  raise  and  lower  it  like  a  trap  door 
while  sitting  on  the  chair.  By  screwing  the  hinges 
on  a  mere  trifle  out  of  line,  the  strip  will  move  stiffly, 
and  will  remain  in  any  position  in  which  it  may  be 
left.  I  now  place  two,  thin  padded  shelves  under  the 
seat,  one  above  the  other.  These  are  concealed  when 
the  side  piece  is  down,  but  when  it  is  up  they  are  of 
course  visible  and  the  right  hand  can  easily  reach  them. 
As  the  strip  is  now  so  thin  it  offers  no  obstruction 
when  up,  to  getting  at  the  shelves  and  making  the  ex- 
change of  slates. 

I  have  this  chair  in  the  room  adjoining  the  back  par- 
lor. As  soon  as  I  have  developed  and  read  Lady 
Number  Two's  writing,  I  sign  the  message  as  stated 
before,  and  slip  this  prepared  slate  onto  the  bottom 
shelf  of  the  chair,  message  side  up.  I  lower  the  side 
piece  and  all  is  ready. 

I  next  place  an  ordinary  table  sidewise  to  the  spec- 
tators, but  just  inside  the  back  parlor.  There  is  a 
cover  on  this  table  which  hangs  down  some  six  inches 
on  the  side  next  to  the  audience,  and  somewhat  less  on 
my  side.  I  place  the  prepared  chair  with  its  right  side 
towards  the  table,  at  the  side  of  the  table  away  from 
the  spectators.  I  have  in  the  front  parlor  another 
chair  just  like  mine,  except  it  is  unprepared.  I  place 
this  chair  for  the  lady  with  its  left  side  towards  the 


112     MEDIUMISTIC   READING   OF   SEALED    WRITINGS. 

table,  and  at  the  side  of  the  table  which  faces  the  spec- 
tators. 

I  place  on  this  table  the  two  slates  which  I  have  pre- 
viously placed  on  the  table  in  the  front  parlor.  I  ask 
Lady  Number  Two  to  be  seated  at  this  table.  This 
effectually  conceals  from  her  view  and  from  the  spec- 
tators, the  portion  of  my  person  and  the  prepared  chair 
that  are  below  the  table  top.  We  thus  both  sit  sidewise 
to  the  table,  and  face  the  same  direction.  I  ask  her 
to  clean  the  slates ;  and  just  as  she  is  finishing  the 
second  slate,  I  take  the  first  one  in  my  right  hand  and 
apparently  place  it  under  the  table. 

Now  I  have  just  raised  the  trap  of  the  chair  while 
she  was  cleaning  the  first  slate;  so,  as  I  bring  this 
slate  below  the  table  top,  I  slip  it  on  the  top  shelf  of 
the  chair  silently,  quickly  drawing  out  the  prepared 
slate  in  its  place,  and  lowering  the  side  piece  of  the 
chair.  I  immediately  bring  the  prepared  slate  up 
under  the  table,  requesting  her  at  the  same  time  to 
place  her  slate  under  the  table  with  her  right  hand. 
Upon  her  doing  so,  I  immediately  ask  her  to  take  her 
other  hand  and  hold  my  slate  also.  I  instantly  with- 
draw my  right  hand.  This  all  requires  but  a  moment 
and  she  has  soon  forgotten  that  I  placed  one  of  the 
slates  under  the  table. 

Sometimes  I  take  a  small  slate  pencil  and  quickly 
place  it  on  the  slates,  instantly  withdrawing  my  hand. 
I  now  place  my  hands  on  the  table  top,  and  gradually 
turn,  facing  the  table.  I  call  on  the  spectators  to  come 
forward  and  watch  the  experiment,  and  the  trick  is 
practically  done. 

At  the  proper  time  I  direct  the  lady  to  bring  out  the 
slates,  which  she  does,  producing  the  message.  After 
the  effect  of  this  is  over,  I  mentally  read  her  question 


MEDIUMISTIC   READING   OF   SEALED   WRITINGS.     II3 

on  the  slip  of  concealed  paper;  then  I  direct  her  to 
produce  the  envelope,  open  it  and  verify  all.  After 
this  I  bring  forward  the  crystal  globe  and  answer 
the  questions  as  before  described. 

After  all  is  completed,  I  take  the  cover  off  the  table 
and  turn  it  over  to  the  view  of  the  spectators,  that  they 
may  see  that  there  is  no  trickery,  but  that  the  table  is 
an  ordinary  one.  I  also  offer  my  person  for  exami- 
nation that  they  may  be  convinced  that  nothing  is  con- 
cealed about  me.  I  have  never  yet  had  any  one  suspect 
the  innocent  looking  chair. 

I  have  performed  many  experiments  in  magic  and 
sleight-of-hand,  and  T  have  seen  the  best  work  of  this 
class  in  the  country ;  and  I  can  conscientiously  assure 
the  readers  of  this  work  that  I  have  never  seen  one 
experiment  of  this  class,  the  effect  of  which  could  in 
any  way  begin  to  compare  with  the  effect  of  the  ex- 
periments I  have  just  described.  This  is  especially 
true  among  the  more  intelligent  class  of  persons,  who 
may  regard  the  very  best  work  in  magic  as  but  the  re- 
sult of  practice;  but  who  insist  on  regarding  this  as 
something  else ;  as  something  at  least  bordering  on  the 
occult,  and  as  something  very  rare. 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET 
TESTS. 


I  HAVE  decided  to  give  to  my  readers  a  description 
and  explanation  of  a  few  of  the  best  slate-writing 
feats  and  billest  tests  that  are  being  performed  by 
mediums  and  conjurors  of  the  present  day.  I  will 
make  no  attempt  at  explaining  a  complete  list  of  the 
many  tricks  of  the  kind,  for  should  I  do  so  it  would 
require  a  large  volume  to  contain  it  all. 

There  are  certain  dealers  who  supply  secrets  of  this 
kind  to  mediums  and  others  desiring  them,  at  what 
may  be  considered  by  some  as  a  very  high  price.  There 
are  also  books  on  the  subject  describing  many  such 
feats;  but  those  that  are  really  the  best,  have  been 
pretty  generally  kept  out  of  the  books  on  the  subject. 
Some  can  only  be  secured  from  the  dealers,  while 
some  have  been  guarded  by  certain  mediums  so  closely 
that  I  do  not  think  the  dealers  have  obtained  the 
secrets  yet. 

The  tricks  to  which  I  shall  devote  the  most  attention 
are  the  ones  used  by  such  mediums,  and  certain  ones 
supplied  by  dealers,  these  being  the  ones  I  regard  as 
the  best  and  most  deceptive  of  the  kind. 

The  reader  must  understand  that  the  most  essential 
part  of  any  trick  is  the  psychological  part.     This  con- 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         II5 

sists  in  the  operator  absolutely  controlling  the  sub- 
ject's attention.  This  is  termed,  in  the  parlance  of  the 
profession,  "  misdirection."  A  thorough  master  of 
the  art  of  misdirection  has  his  subject  entirely  at  his 
mercy.  The  subject  sees  only  what  the  operator  de- 
sires him  to  see,  even  though  much  of  that  which  is 
hidden  is  performed  before  his  very  eyes. 

I  do  not  mean  to  convey  the  idea  that  the  operator 
employs  a  power  anything  like  hypnotism,  but  merely 
that  he  is  an  actor ;  that  he  directs  the  attention  of  the 
subject  entirely  by  skilfully  directing  his  own  eyes, 
his  own  gestures,  and  his  own  attention,  to  the  point 
where  he  desires  the  attention  of  his  subject  to  be 
directed.  Wherever  the  operator  looks  and  points, 
there  will  the  subject  most  certainly  look  if  he  be 
interested.  It  is  possible  then  for  the  performer  to 
execute  with  the  other  hand  any  maneuver  he  desires, 
entirely  unseen  by  the  subject ;  but  he  must  in  no  way 
look  at  such  action  himself,  or  he  will  be  instantly  dis- 
covered. 

A  magician  once  remarked  to  me,  *Tf  I  can  only 
get  your  attention  intently,  an  elephant  can  pass  be- 
hind me  and  you  will  not  see  it."  This  may  have 
been  a  little  strong,  but  not  so  much  so  as  one  who  is 
not  himself  a  perfomer  might  suppose.  The  attention 
is  like  the  field  of  vision, — it  can  only  be  concentrated 
on  one  thing  at  a  time. 

If  any  one  reports  a  slate-writing,  where  he  took  his 
own  slates,  did  not  let  them  go  out  of  his  hands,  and 
allowed  no  one  to  touch  them  in  any  manner,  he  is 
surely  mistaken  if  truthful.  There  has  been  some- 
thing which  occurred,  and  which  he  does  not  relate, 
for  the  simple  fact  that  it  escaped  his  attention  at  the 
time — something  that  to  him  seemed  a  mere  incident, 


Il6        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

a  little  thing,  an  accident,  or  that  he  did  not  perceive 
at  all ;  but  that  was  really  the  vital  point,  as  it  con- 
cealed the  trick.  This  is  the  verdict  of  all  the  reliable 
conjurers  who  have  ever  investigated  the  subject. 

Conjurers  are  always  looking  for  things  of  this 
kind;  and  if  they  hear  of  such  a  trick,  immediately 
manage  to  see  it  if  possible.  They  always  see  it  with 
different  eyes,  than  do  other  persons.  This  is  simply 
because  they  are  fitted  by  education  to  detect  a  trick. 
A  conjurer  is  a  specialist  who  is  fitted  to  detect  trick- 
ery. 

We  hear  many  tales  of  marvelous  slate  tricks,  but 
can  never  find  them.  They  are  something  like  the 
wonderful  stories  we  hear  about  "Indian  Magic."  We 
receive  the  latter  at  second  or  third  hand,  and  far  from 
the  scenes  where  they  occurred.  When  one  of  our 
magicians  makes  a  journey  to  that  country  to  see 
these  things,  he  can  not  find  them.  He  can  only  find 
a  number  of  tricks  that  are  really  inferior  to  the  tricks 
of  our  own  performers  at  home.  There  is  one  little 
difference,  however,  and  that  is  the  setting  given  these 
tricks  by  the  pretenses  of  the  performer.  In  our  coun- 
try, the  performer,  unless  he  be  a  professional  medium, 
claims  only  that  it  is  trickery;  while  in  that  country, 
as  a  rule,  the  spectators  are  allowed  to  believe  the 
prformance  genuine.  This  greatly  enhances  the  effect 
of  any  trick. 

Slate  tricks,  where  the  performer  appears  not  to 
touch  the  slates,  are  by  no  means  the  best  or  most 
certain  of  success;  but  a  good  performer  must  be 
able  to  perform  all  kinds  and  to  adjust  himself  to  the 
conditions  with  which  he  is  confronted. 

I  personally  perform  most  of  the  tricks  I  am  going 
to  describe,  and  I  assure  the  reader  that  the  explana- 


SPIRIT   SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET   TESTS.         II7 

tions  are  given  very  accurately ;  so  that  the  reader  can, 
if  he  so  desire,  reproduce  the  experiments.  All  the 
tricks  given  are  thoroughly  practicable,  and  can  be 
successfully  performed  with  a  little  practice. 

In  justice  to  myself  I  wish  to  state  that  I  have  al- 
ways used  these  experiments  for  purposes  of  enter- 
tainment or  instruction,  and  that  I  have  never  imposed 
on  the  credulity  of  any  of  my  spectators.  I  have  never 
laid  any  claims  to  mediumistic  powers,  but  have  al- 
ways acknowledged  that  the  experiments  were  pure 
trickery. 

The  reader  must  remember  that  when  a  trick  is  ex- 
plained it  immediately  becomes  commonplace,  and  that 
it  is  only  the  mystery  of  good  tricks  that  lends  a  charm 
to  them.  To  properly  appreciate  a  good  trick,  one 
should  by  all  means  see  it  performed  before  reading 
the  explanation,  if  it  be  possible  to  do  so.  When  the 
explanation  is  read  without  seeing  the  trick  performed, 
it  is  rarely  held  at  its  true  value  in  the  reader's  estima- 
tion. I  assure  the  reader  that  the  tricks  which  follow 
appear  very  mysterious,  and  that  they  are  the  best  of 
their  kind  in  existence.  The  reader  has  only  to  give 
a  few  of  them  a  careful  trial  to  be  convinced  of  this 
Statement. 

I  would  advise  any  one  who  desires  to  thoroughly 
understand  these  tricks,  to  read  the  explanation  care- 
fully, and  to  form  a  good  mental  picture  of  all  the 
details  of  the  performance. 

II. 

I  will  first  describe  a  very  excellent  slate  trick  wnich 
is  being  worked  most  successfully  by  a  few  profes- 
sional mediums  of  the  present  day.  This  is  performed 
with  a  number,  usually  eight,  bound  slates,  of  the  size 


Il8        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

five  by  seven,  and  one  large  slate,  size  eight  by  eleven 
inches  inside  measure.  This  trick  is  very  easy  to  per- 
form and  very  deceptive.  Any  reader  of  this  article 
can  perform  it  successfully  with  a  very  few  trials. 

I  generally  have  the  subject  take  a  seat  near  a  small 
table,  and  I  remain  standing  at  his  left  side  while  I 
perform  the  trick.  I  first  step  to  an  adjoining  room 
as  soon  as  the  spectator  is  seated  and  get  the  slates. 
I  come  forward  with  the  slates  arranged  as  follows: 
in  my  left  hand  and  partly  resting  on  my  wrist  and 
arm  is  the  large  slate  with  the  small  ones  on  top  of  it. 

I  present  the  top  small  slate  to  the  subject  for  in- 
spection and  cleaning,  if  he  so  desire.  When  he  is 
through  with  it,  I  take  it  in  my  right  hand  and  place 
it  on  the  table  directly  in  front  of  him.  I  repeat  this 
with  each  of  the  remaining  small  slates,  placing  each 
one  inspected  on  top  of  the  others,  thus  forming  a 
stack.  I  do  not  even  up  the  edges  of  the  slates,  but 
leave  the  stack  in  a  rough  and  unsymmetrical  form. 
When  the  last  small  slate  is  in  position,  I  bring  the 
large  slate  in  front  of  the  subject,  and  giving  him  a 
pencil,  request  him  to  zwife  on  the  large  slate  his  name 
and  the  date  of  his  birth.  If  he  desires  to  examine  the 
large  slate  before  writing  this,  I  allow  him  to  do  so. 
As  soon  as  he  has  done  the  writing,  I  place  the  large 
slate  in  his  lap  and  request  him  to  hold  it  by  the  ends. 
I  then  take  a  large  rubber  band  and  snap  it  around  the 
stack  of  small  slates,  after  evening  up  the  edges.  I 
now  place  this  stack  of  small  slates  in  his  lap  on  the 
large  slate,  and  request  him  to  place  his  palms  on  it. 

After  sufficient  time  has  elapsed,  I  request  him  to 
examine  the  slates  for  a  message.  When  he  does  so 
he  finds  a  long  "spirit"  message  written  on  one  of  the 
small  slates,  completely  covering  one  side  of  it.    The 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         II9 

message  is  written  with  a  soapstone  pencil,  and  ap- 
pears bright,  and  heavily  written.  It  is  addressed  to 
him  by  name,  and  is  frequently  signed  by  the  name  of 
some  departed  friend  whom  I  do  not  know. 

This  effect  is  secured  by  a  very  simple  means.  I  use 
nine  small  slates  instead  of  eight.  I  prepare  the  mes- 
sage in  advance  and  sign  it.  The  slate  containing  this 
message  is  underneath  the  large  slate  when  I  come 
forward  with  the  slates.  As  I  take  my  position  at  the 
left  side  of  the  spectator,  and  tilt  the  slates  slightly 
towards  him,  the  message  slate  can  not  be  seen. 

The  subject  naturally  supposes  that  all  of  the  small 
slates  are  on  top  of  the  large  one;  and  when  he  has 
examined  all  of  the  small  slates  in  view,  and  I  have 
stacked  them  in  front  of  him,  he  never  dreams  that 
under  the  large  slate  in  my  left  hand  is  another  small 
slate  which  he  can  not  see. 

I  now  bring  this  large  slate  into  position  right  over 
the  stack  for  an  instant,  with  its  front  edge  tilted 
downward  and  resting  on  the  stack.  I  allow  the  small 
bound  slate  under  the  large  one  silently  to  drop  upon 
the  stack,  and  at  the  same  time  I  take  his  attention  by 
giving  him  a  pencil  with  my  right  hand  and  requesting 
him  to  write  on  the  large  slate.  I  say,  "Write  your 
name,  etc.,  right  there,"  pointing  with  my  right  fingers 
to  the  center  of  the  large  slate.  This  takes  his  atten- 
tion so  that  he  does  not  notice  the  fact  that  the  large 
slate  pauses  over  the  stack  of  small  slates  for  a  mo- 
ment. In  fact  this  is  done  in  a  natural  manner,  as  if 
I  were  merely  holding  the  large  slate  in  that  position 
to  show  him  where  to  write,  and  he  thinks  nothing 
of  it. 

When  the  large  slate  is  removed  and  placed  in  his 
lap,  he  does  not  notice  that  there  is  now  one  more 


120         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

slate  in  the  stack,  for  the  reason  that  where  so  many 
slates  are  used  the  addition  of  an  extra  one  can  not 
be  noticed  unless  the  subject  first  count  the  slates.  Of 
course  counting  is  never  mentioned.  The  small  slate 
with  the  message  on  it  has  the  message  side  down- 
wards, so  that  the  message  can  not  be  seen  after  it  is 
dropped  on  the  stack. 

I  always  keep  the  slates  in  my  left  hand  until  they 
are  inspected  and  stacked  on  the  table,  for  the  reason 
that  if  the  slates  be  laid  on  the  table  the  small  one 
under  the  large  one  will  make  its  presence  known  by 
preventing  the  large  slate  from  touching  the  table.  I 
allow  the  slates  partly  to  rest  on  my  arm  until  the 
weight  is  reduced  so  I  can  hold  them  in  the  hand, 
at  which  time  I  hold  those  which  remain,  in  the  left 
hand  only.  This  enables  me  to  press  the  concealed 
slate  tightly  against  the  lower  side  of  the  large  slate. 

As  soon  as  the  large  slate  is  placed  on  the  sitter's 
lap,  I  up-edge  the  stack  of  small  slates  so  as  to  even 
them  up.  I  take  from  the  table  a  large  rubber  band 
and  snap  it  around  the  stack.  As  the  stack  is  on  the 
side  edges  of  the  slates  when  I  first  up-edge  them,  I 
next  bring  them  upon  the  end  edges,  while  I  put  the 
band  in  place.  It  is  now  easy  to  place  the  stack  of 
slates  upon  the  large  slate  message  slate  down,  and  to 
attract  no  notice  to  this  fact.  This  is  because  the  po- 
sition has  been  changed  a  time  or  so  in  placing  the 
band  on ;  and  I  then  take  the  stack  in  my  hands  by  the 
edges  of  the  slates,  and  simply  place  what  was  the  top 
side  of  the  stack  in  the  beginning,  at  the  bottom.  This 
way  the  spectator  never  suspects  that  the  stack  has 
been  turned  over ;  and  when  he  does  find  his  message, 
he  finds  it  on  the  bottom  slate,  and  on  its  upper  surface, 
which  greatly  heightens  the  effect.     His  memory  is 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         121 

especially  good  about  cleaning  the  bottom  slate,  and 
also  about  the  upper  surfaces  of  the  slates  being  free 
from  writing;  as  he  could  sec  them  all  on  the  upper 
surface  as  the  stack  was  formed.  The  message  thus 
appears  as  if  it  had  come  by  magic,  or  some  super- 
human power. 

The  secret  of  success  with  this  trick  is  perfect  self- 
assurance.  The  operator  must  not  act  timid,  but  must 
perform  the  experiment  himself  and  direct  the  sitter 
what  to  do.  He  thus  makes  his  own  conditions  and 
must  never  act  in  any  way  backward  or  embarrassed, 
but  perfectly  at  home  in  the  performance  of  the  ex- 
periment. 

The  means  by  which  I  obtain  the  name  of  the  de- 
ceased friend  of  the  spectator  may  be  one  of  several, 
some  of  which  I  will  describe  further  on. 

There  are  a  number  of  tricks  performed  where  a 
stack  of  slates  is  used  and  an  extra  slate  adroitly  added 
to  it,  or  else  one  of  them  exchanged  for  another. 

There  is  also  an  improved  form  of  this  trick  which 
I  use.  It  is  very  superior  and  I  vvall  give  it  a  little 
later.  It  requires  a  little  more  skill  at  one  point,  and 
also  requires  a  knowledge  of  certain  moves  which  I 
give  in  the  trick  described  in  Number  IV  of  this  chap- 
ter. In  Number  V,  I  will  again  refer  to  this  trick,  and 
give  the  improved  method ;  as  the  reader  will  then  have 
mastered  the  moves  required  for  its  production. 

*       *       ik 

There  is  also  another  trick  with  a  stack  of  slates 
which  is  very  effective.  In  this  trick  no  large  slate  is 
used.  The  message  is  prepared  in  advance  on  a  small 
slate,  and  this  slate  is  concealed  on  the  floor  under  the 
end  of  a  small  rug  behind  the  table.  As  the  spectator 
cleans  each  slate,  the  operator  takes  it  and  places  it 


122         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

on  the  rug  directly  over  the  concealed  slate.  When  all 
of  the  slates  are  cleaned,  the  operator  picks  up  the 
stack  from  the  floor ;  and  secretly  inserting  his  fingers 
under  the  concealed  slate  beneath  the  rug,  he  draws  it 
out  and  picks  it  up  with  the  other  slates. 

The  move  is  made  so  that  it  appears  as  if  the  opera- 
tor merely  picks  up  the  slates  on  top  of  the  rug,  and 
the  subject  never  suspects  that  a  concealed  one  is 
drawn  at  the  same  time  from  under  the  rug.  This 
concealed  slate  has  the  message  side  upwards,  and  the 
stack  of  slates  are  now  evened  up  and  laid  on  the  chair ; 
where,  after  holding  the  palms  on  them  for  a  time,  the 
subject  examines  them  and  finds  the  message. 

Sometimes  when  I  perform  this  trick  I  have  the  mes- 
sage slate  on  a  table  under  a  newspaper.  When  we 
take  our  seats  at  the  table  I  remove  the  newspaper  out 
of  my  way  and  lay  it  on  the  floor,  a  chair,  or  another 
table.  I  then  lay  the  slates  on  the  table  to  be  cleaned. 
Of  course  I  secretly  remove  the  concealed  slate  under 
the  newspaper  when  I  remove  it,  and  lay  both  on  the 
floor,  chair,  or  table. 

As  the  spectator  cleans  the  slates  I  stack  them  on 
this  newspaper,  and  when  I  pick  up  the  cleaned 
slates,  I  draw  out  the  message  slate  as  in  the  pre- 
ceding trick. 

III. 

One  other  variation  of  the  last  trick  is  being  worked 
at  the  present  time  by  a  very  noted  medium.  The 
slates  are  placed  in  a  stack  on  a  small  table  directly 
in  front  of  the  sitter.  He  is  requested  to  clean  them 
one  at  a  time.  As  he  does  so  the  operator,  who  stands 
at  his  left,  takes  the  slates  in  his  left  hand,  and  stacks 
them  on  the  left  corner  of  the  table. 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND   BILLET  TESTS.         I23 

There  is  a  mantel  just  back  of  the  operator  and  his 
subject,  on  which  Hes  concealed  behind  some  object 
a  duplicate  slate  with  a  message  on  its  under  side. 
As  soon  as  the  fourth  or  fifth  slate  is  cleaned  and  in 
place  on  the  stack,  the  performer,  who  stands  some- 
what behind  the  subject,  secretly  takes  the  slate  from 
the  mantel  with  his  right  hand.  Just  as  the  sitter 
finishes  cleaning  the  next  slate  the  performer  takes  it 
from  him  with  his  left  hand;  but  just  before  placing 
it  on  the  stack  he  makes  a  pass,  leaving  this  slate  in 
his  right  hand  and  carrying  away  from  his  right  hand 
the  message  slate.  This  pass  can  be  executed  instantly 
and  is  immediately  followed  by  placing  the  message 
slate  on  the  stack,  message  side  down,  with  the  left 
hand ;  while  at  the  same  instant  the  right  hand  returns 
the  slate  the  sitter  has  just  cleaned  to  the  position  on 
the  mantel. 

As  soon  as  the  stack  is  formed  the  medium  up-edges 
the  slates,  evens  them  up,  and  slips  a  rubber  band 
around  them  giving  them  into  the  sitter's  lap  to  be 
held.  The  stack  is  turned  as  in  the  preceding  tricks, 
and  the  effect  on  finding  the  message  is  just  as  great. 

In  regard  to  making  the  pass  with  the  slates,  the 
operator  should  partly  face  towards  the  sitter's  chair 
and  stand  at  the  left  side  of  the  sitter,  so  that  his  right 
hand  is  far  enough  back  to  be  out  of  the  angle  of 
vision  of  the  sitter.  The  slates  should  be  taken  with 
the  left  hand  and  placed  on  the  stack  at  the  left.  When 
the  exchange  is  made,  the  left  hand,  on  taking  the  slate 
from  the  subject,  should  move  for  the  merest  instant 
back  of  the  range  of  his  vision,  meeting  the  right  hand 
and  making  the  exchange.  It  should  do  this  and  zvith- 
out  pause  place  the  message  slate  on  the  stack.  The 
whole  move  should  take  but  a  fraction  of  a  second. 


124         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

using  about  the  same  length  of  time  that  is  used  in 
placing  the  other  slates  in  position.  Some  remark 
about  the  next  slate  to  be  cleaned,  just  at  this  instant, 
helps  to  divert  the  sitter's  attention  and  make  the  ex- 
change more  indetectable. 


I  will  now  describe  how  to  make  the  "switch"  as 
well  as  I  can  without  drawings,  and  any  reader  wish- 
ing to  try  these  tricks  should  master  this  move  thor- 
oughly. It  is  used  in  the  next  trick  which  I  am  go- 
ing to  describe,  and  which  is  one  of  the  very  best  of 
slate  tricks. 

The  move  is  made  in  this  manner:  The  slate  in  the 
left  hand  is  taken  between  the  thumb  and  index  finger, 
and  rests  in  a  horizontal  position  on  the  side  of  the 
finger  facing  the  thumb.  The  remaining  fingers  of  the 
left  hand  do  not  touch  the  slate,  but  are  below  the  in- 
dex finger;  so  that  they  as  well  as  the  hand,  form  a 
right  angle  with  the  surface  of  the  slate.  The  middle 
finger  is  spread  apart  from  the  index  finger,  thus  form- 
ing with  it  an  opening  into  which  the  slate  from  the 
right  hand  is  to  be  slipped.  The  slate  taken  in  the 
right  hand  is  also  taken  in  a  similar  position ;  but  just 
the  instant  before  making  the  pass,  I  always  bring  the 
index  finger  on  top  of  the  slate  and  hold  the  slate 
pressed  between  the  index  finger  and  the  middle  or 
large  finger.  I  keep  the  right  thumb  elevated,  or 
separated  from  the  index  finger,  and  bring  the  two 
hands  together,  passing  the  slate  in  the  right  hand  be- 
low the  slate  in  the  left  hand  until  the  latter  is  directly 
over  the  former.  The  slate  from  the  right  hand  enters 
between  the  index  and  second  fingers  of  the  left  hand, 
which  should  immediately  grasp  it  tightly;  and  the 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I25 

fingers  of  the  right  hand  holding  it  should  at  the  same 
time  release  their  grasp  on  it. 

The  index  finger  of  the  right  hand  passes  below  the 
slate  in  the  left  hand  when  the  above  maneuver  is 
made,  and  the  right  thumb  passes  over  this  slate. 
These  should  instantly  grasp  the  left-hand .  slate  while 
the  left  thumb  and  index  finger  release  it.  The  hands 
should  be  instantly  separated,  the  right  now  carrying 
away  the  slate  held  before  in  the  left  hand,  and  the 
left  hand  carrying  away  the  slate  held  in  the  right 
hand.  This  move  does  not  require  over  a  tenth  of  a 
second  and  is  very  simple  and  easy  to  execute,  if  one 
will  but  try  it.  Without  figures  it  requires  some  little 
description,  but  it  is  very  simple  nevertheless. 

If  any  reader  of  this  work  will  take  two  small 
padded  slates  and  try  this  move  for  five  minutes,  con- 
stantly passing  the  slates  from  one  hand  to  the  other 
and  back  again,  the  "switch"  can  be  made  many  times 
a  minute;  and  in  five  minutes'  practice  the  hands  will 
do  the  work  almost  by  reflex  action,  without  looking  at 
them  at  all,  and  the  reader  will  then  be  able  to  execute 
the  next  trick  which  I  will  now  describe. 

IV. 

This  trick  depends  upon  the  "switch"  of  slates  de- 
scribed above.  I  tell  my  subject  to  take  a  seat  near 
a  small  table,  and  meanwhile  I  have  two  slates  in  my 
hands  as  above  described.  The  message  is  already 
prepared  on  the  under  side  of  the  slate  held  in  the  left 
hand. 

The  message  is  written  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
left  index  finger  does  not  erase  it  while  holding  the 
slate.  I  carelessly  hand  the  spectator  the  slate  in  my 
right  hand,  with  the   request  that  he  "examine  this 


126         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

slate  on  both  sides."  I  do  not  tell  him  what  I  intend 
doing  in  any  manner ;  and  although  I  hold  the  other 
slate  in  my  left  hand,  I  say  nothing  about  intending  to 
use  it.  I  merely  say  to  him,  ''Examine  this  slate,  will 
you  please?"  Just  at  the  instant  that  he  is  through 
with  it,  I  take  it  from  him  with  my  right  hand ;  and 
at  that  very  instant  I  remark,  "I  must  use  a  chair  in 
this  experiment."  At  the  same  time  I  direct  my  gaze 
to  a  chair  on  my  right  that  is  slightly  out  of  reach,  and 
say,  "I  will  use  that."  The  subject  can  not  help  glan- 
cing at  the  chair  as  I  say  this,  and  at  that  very  instant 
the  "switch"  is  made.  I  instantly  hand  him  the  slate  in 
my  left  hand  before  getting  the  chair,  saying,  "ex- 
amine that  slate  also."  As  I  say  this  I  lay  the  slate  in 
my  right  hand  on  the  table  in  front  of  but  some  dis- 
tance away  from  him.  This  slate  was  the  one  before 
held  by  my  left  hand  and  the  message  is  on  its  under 
surface.  The  slate  the  subject  is  examining  is  the  same 
one  he  examined  in  the  first  place. 

I  quickly  get  the  chair,  keeping  my  eye  on  the  sub- 
ject to  see  that  he  gives  his  attention  to  the  slate  in 
his  hands ;  and  instantly  taking  my  seat  opposite  him, 
I  quickly  take  the  slate  from  him,  saying,  "I  will  now 
place  this  slate  on  top  of  this  one."  As  I  say  this  I 
lower  his  slate  over  the  one  on  the  table,  and  place 
my  palms  on  my  end  of  them  requesting  him  to  do 
the  same  at  his  end  of  them.  All  of  this,  which  takes 
so  long  to  describe,  does  not  require  a  half  minute  to 
execute. 

After  a  time  I  lift  oiif  the  top  slate  and  look  for  a 
message  between  them.  I  do  not  turn  the  top  slate 
over,  although  there  is  nothing  on  its  lower  side ;  but 
I  merely  look  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  lower  slate. 
As  I  do  this  I  have  the  top  slate  in  my  right  hand  by 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BII  LET  TESTS.         I27 

its  right  edge,  and  I  have  picked  up  the  other  by  its 
left  edge  with  my  left  hand,  and  raised  it  about  an  inch 
from  the  table.  As  I  remark,  'There  is  nothing  on 
that  slate,"  I  bring  the  two  slates  again  together.  But 
this  time  I  bring  the  slate  in  my  right  hand  under  the 
one  in  my  left  hand. 

It  is  merely  passed  under  it  as  I  bring  the  hands  to- 
gether and  this  fact  is  not  noticed  by  the  spectator.  In 
fact  in  the  first  place  as  I  lift  off  the  top  slate  with  my 
right  hand,  my  left  grasps  the  lower  slate  so  soon 
after  the  right  hand  grasps  the  top  slate  that  the  top 
slate  is  not  more  than  an  inch  removed  to  the  right, 
before  the  left  hand  has  the  lower  slate  and  the  two 
are  separated ;  that  is,  the  left  hand  moves  to  the  left 
as  much  as  the  right  hand  does  to  the  right,  and  neither 
hand  is  lifted  more  than  an  inch  or  two  from  the 
table. 

I  remark,  "There  is  nothing  on  that  slate,"  instantly 
passing  the  right  slate  under  and  the  left  slate  over, 
bringing  the  hands  together.  If  the  move  be  made  as 
just  described,  the  subject  will  never  notice  that  the 
slate  that  was  the  top  one  in  the  first  place,  is  now  the 
bottom  one,  and  vice  versa. 

We  replace  the  palms  and  wait  a  few  moments, 
when  again  I  separate  the  slates  exactly  as  I  did  in  the 
first  place.  The  message  is  now  on  the  under  side  of 
the  upper  slate,  and  can  not  be  seen  as  I  do  not  turn 
this  slate  over.  I  make  the  remark,  "No  message  yet," 
as  if  surprised  and  dissatisfied ;  and  I  bring  the  two 
hands  together  again  as  in  the  first  instance,  except 
that  this  time  /  leave  the  message  slate  on  top. 

I  do  not  place  the  slates  on  the  table  fiat ;  but  up- 
edge  them  instead,  and  pinch  them  tightly  together 
with  my  left  fingers ;  while  with  my  right  hand  I  take 


128         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

from  my  right  vest  pocket  a  small  piece  of  slate  pencil. 
I  remark,  ''Perhaps  if  we  had  a  pencil  we  would  get 
something;  and  separating  the  slates  the  slightest  bit 
at  the  top  with  my  left  hand,  I  drop  the  piece  of 
pencil  between  them  with  my  right  hand,  quickly  clos- 
ing the  slight  opening. 

I  now  lay  the  slates  flat  on  the  table;  but  this  time 
I  lay  them  so  that  they  are  turned  over,  or  so  that  the 
message  slate  is  nozv  underneath  with  the  message  on 
its  upper  surface.  We  instantly  replace  our  palms  on 
the  upper  slate.  Now  all  of  this  maneuvering  has  been 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  message  slate  to  the 
bottom,  message  side  upzmrds;  and  also  for  showing 
the  sitter  the  upper  surface  of  the  lower  slate  repeat- 
edly, and  always  free  from  writing.  This  greatly  en- 
hances the  after  effect  of  the  trick.  I,  of  course,  do 
not  tell  him  why  I  am  thus  maneuvering;  in  fact,  he 
does  not  know  I  am  maneuvering,  and  afterwards 
merely  remembers  my  separating  the  slates  and  look- 
ing on  the  upper  surface  of  the  lower  one  repeatedly, 
but  finding  nothing.  As  a  result,  when  next  we  look 
at  the  slates,  he  is  deeply  impressed  on  finding  a  mes- 
sage where  but  an  instant  before  there  was  none.  I 
do  not  separate  the  slates  this  time  myself,  but  merely 
remove  my  palms  and  ask  him  to  examine  them. 

A  subject's  memory  is  so  poor  at  recalling  little 
details,  that  all  he  can  remember  afterwards  is  that  he 
examined  both  of  the  slates,  that  they  never  left  his 
sight,  and  that  he  repeatedly  looked  at  them  and  saw 
no  message ;  that  finally,  on  separating  them,  he  found 
a  message  where  but  an  instant  before  there  was  none. 

The  reader  at  first  sight  might  not  give  to  all  this 
maneuvering  the  proper  importance,  and  might  con- 
sider the  trick  performed  when  the  slates  are  first 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I29 

examined  and  placed  on  the  table ;  but  I  will  say  that 
this  subsequent  maneuvering  is  what  makes  this  trick 
the  superb  effect  which  it  is,  and  makes  it  really  one 
of  the  best  slate  tricks  for  a  single  spectator. 

The  reader  will  please  remember  the  moves  just 
described  which  I  execute  after  the  exchange  of  the 
slates,  and  after  I  lay  the  slates  on  the  table  one  on 
top  of  the  other.  These  moves  are  the  closing  part 
of  the  trick  which  I  will  next  describe,  and  which  I 
made  mention  of  in  Number  II  of  this  chapter. 


I  will  now  refer  the  reader  to  the  trick  described  in 
Number  II  wherein  one  large  and  nine  small  slates  are 
used.  In  this  trick  I  use  the  same  slates  but  the  modus 
operandi  is  somewhat  changed. 

I  do  not  enter  with  the  eight  small  slates  on  top  of 
the  large  slate  as  in  the  trick  described  in  Number  II ; 
but  I  have  the  slates  arranged  after  the  following 
manner:  The  nine  small  slates  are  stacked  one  on  the 
other,  with  the  message  slate  on  top,  message  side 
down.     On  top  of  this  stack  is  the  large  slate. 

I  enter  with  these  and  place  them  on  the  table  di- 
rectly in  front  of  the  sitter.  I  stand  at  his  left  and 
with  my  left  hand  I  remove  the  large  slate  from  the 
stack,  carrying  under  it  secretly  the  top  small  slate. 
This  small  slate  bears  the  message ;  so  I  tilt  the  top 
surface  of  the  large  slate  towards  the  spectator  so  as 
to  prevent  his  seeing  the  concealed  slate,  which  my 
left  fingers  press  tightly  against  the  far  side  of  the 
large  slate.  With  my  right  hand  I  now  give  the  sitter 
the  stack  of  eight  small  slates,  telling  him  to  place  them 
in  his  lap,  clean  them  one  at  a  time,  and  stack  them  on 
the  table  in  front  of  himself. 


130        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

As  I  thus  direct  him,  my  left  hand  still  holds  the 
large  slate  a  few  inches  above  the  table  top  and  a  few 
inches  farther  from  the  subject  than  the  position  where 
I  first  placed  the  slates.  I  now  state  that  while  he 
cleans  his  slates,  I  will  write  on  the  large  slate  any 
mental  impression  which  I  may  receive.  I  allow  the 
lower  edge  of  the  large  slate  to  rest  on  the  table,  and 
taking  a  pencil  in  my  right  hand  I  proceed  to  write 
some  name.  I  try  to  write  one  that  the  sitter  will 
recognize ;  but  if  unable  to  do  so,  it  makes  no  differ- 
ence. Meanwhile,  I  see  to  it  that,  while  I  am  writing, 
the  sitter  continues  to  clean  and  stack  the  slates  in 
front  of  himself. 

I  time  my  writing  so  as  to  finish  the  name  just  as 
he  cleans  and  stacks  the  fourth  slate.  At  this  instant 
I  bring  the  large  slate  directly  in  front  of  him  (and 
right  over  the  stack  he  is  forming),  and  pointing  to 
the  name  I  have  written  I  say:  "Do  you  recognize 
that  name  ?"  This  takes  his  attention ;  and  at  that  in- 
stant I  allow  the  concealed  message  slate  behind  the 
large  one  to  secretly  drop  upon  the  stack  from  under 
the  large  slate.  The  large  slate  is  resting  with  its 
forward  edge  on  the  front  edge  of  the  stack,  and  its 
rear  edge  elevated  some  thirty  degrees,  when  I  exe- 
cute this  maneuver. 

The  subject  proceeds  to  read  the  name;  and  if  he 
happens  to  recognize  it,  I  give  him  a  verbal  reading 
while  he  continues  to  clean  and  stack  the  remaining 
slates.  If  he  does  not  recognize  the  name,  I  instruct 
him  to  go  ahead ;  as  my  "impressions  do  not  seem  to 
come  readily,  owing  to  improper  conditions." 

Just  as  he  stacks  the  last  slate,  I  take  the  stack  in 
my  hands  like  a  pack  of  cards  and  spread  them  out 
quickly,  fan- wise,  just  as  a  person  playing  cards  does 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND   BILLET  TESTS.         I3I 

the  cards  which  he  holds.     I,  however,  keep  them  in 
a  horizontal  position  near  the  table. 

Now,  if  the  message  slate  be  the  fifth  one  down  from 
the  top,  I  allow  the  fourth  one  to  remain  on  top  of  it 
in  such  position  that  the  edges  of  the  two  slates  coin- 
cide. All  of  the  slates  are  spread  except  these  two, 
which  accidentally  ( ?)  remain  as  if  fastened  together. 
I  now  with  my  fingers  secretly  push  these  two  for- 
ward a  good  inch  in  advance  of  the  other  slates,  and 
direct  the  sitter  to  "take  two  of  these  slates."  As  he 
starts  to  obey,  I  push  these  two  right  into  his  hands ; 
and  just  as  he  draws  them  out,  I  remark,  **Any  two 
that  you  wish."  I  really  "force"  these  two  slates,  just 
as  a  magician  "forces"  the  selection  of  a  desired  card. 

As  the  subject  draws  the  two  slates,  I  instantly  tell 
him  to  lay  them  on  the  table,  which  he  does.  The 
message  is  on  the  under  side  of  the  lower  slate,  and 
I  see  to  it  that  they  are  not  turned  over.  I  now  close 
the  trick  with  the  same  maneuvers  I  use  in  closing  the 
foregoing  trick  which  I  described  in  the  last  number. 
The  effect  is  beyond  description ;  as  the  sitter  thinks 
he  has  just  cleaned  all  of  the  small  slates,  and  that  he 
of  his  own  free  will  chooses  two  of  them  at  random ; 
that  of  these  two,  we  repeatedly  look  on  the  upper  sur- 
face of  the  lower  one  for  a  message,  finding  none ; 
and  then,  suddenly,  without  these  slates  leaving  his 
sight,  he  finds  a  message  on  the  upper  surface  of  the 
lower  slate. 

I  know  a  medium  who  produces  a  message  in  this 
manner,  which  appears  to  be  written  with  a  gold 
ring  worn  by  the  sitter.  The  message  is  prepared  in 
advance  by  rubbing  a  sheet  of  paper  with  sperma- 
ceti wax  or  paraf^n.  When  the  sheet  is  coated  thor- 
oughly, it  is  laid  on  a  slate,  prepared  side  down.   The 


132         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

message  is  now  written  on  this  sheet  of  paper.  The 
pencil  passing  over  the  paper  causes  the  message  to  be 
transferred  to  the  slate  in  wax  writing.  The  medium 
now  dusts  bronze  powder  over  the  slate,  shakes  it 
around  and  dusts  it  off.  The  powder  adheres  to  the 
wax,  and  the  remainder  of  the  slate  is  cleaned  care- 
fully of  all  loose  powder. 

With  the  slate  thus  prepared,  the  performer  pro- 
ceeds with  the  trick  as  described  in  this  number ;  except 
instead  of  dropping  a  piece  of  pencil  between  the  two 
slates,  he  asks  for  the  plain  gold  ring  of  the  sitter,  and 
drops  it  between  them.  The  message  appears  rather 
dimly,  written  in  gold,  as  if  it  had  been  traced  by  the 
ring.  This  trick  always  makes  a  great  impression  on 
a  subject. 

VI. 

I  will  here  describe  a  means  of  secretly  reading  a 
question  written  on  a  slate  by  a  sitter.  The  performer 
uses  a  stack  of  nine  small  slates  with  one  large  one  on 
top  of  them  as  in  the  preceding  slate  trick.  The  slates 
are  brought  in  and  placed  on  a  low  table  in  front  of 
the  sitter,  and  the  operator  takes  his  seat  opposite  him 
at  the  table. 

The  operator  now  takes  up  the  large  slate  from  the 
stack  and  secretly  takes  a  small  slate  underneath  it,  as 
in  the  slate-writing  trick.  He  keeps  the  small  slate 
on  the  side  of  the  large  one  next  to  himself.  There 
is  no  message  on  any  of  the  slates  and  they  are  all 
perfectly  clean.  The  operator  begins  figuring  in  small 
figures,  or  hieroglyphics,  on  the  upper  portion  of  the 
large  slate.  This  is  a  mere  excuse  for  taking  up  the 
large  slate. 

As  he  does  this  he  requests  the  sitter  to  take  a  small 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         1 33 

slate  and  write  thereon  such  questions  as  he  may  de- 
sire answered  and  to  sig:n  his  own  name  thereto.  This 
the  sitter  does ;  and  as  he  faces  the  operator  and  holds 
the  slate  in  front  of  his  face,  vertically,  the  operator 
can  not  see  his  writing.  While  the  subject  writes  his 
questions,  the  operator  takes  the  stack  of  small  slates 
with  his  right  hand  and  places  them  in  his  lap.  As 
he  does  this  he  retains  the  large  slate  in  his  other  hand 
with  the  concealed  small  slate  behind  it. 

When  the  subject  has  finished  his  writing,  the  ope- 
rator directs  him  to  place  his  slate  face  downzuard  on 
the  table.  This  he  does.  The  operator  now  asks, 
"What  was  your  birth  month,  please?"  or  some  similar 
question,  and  appears  to  make  some  kind  of  a  mark  on 
his  large  slate.  He  then,  with  his  other  hand,  takes 
the  slate  on  the  table  which  contains  the  questions  on 
its  lower  side,  and  places  it  face  downward  on  the  stack 
in  his  lap  without  in  any  way  looking  at  it.  He  now 
places  the  large  slate  on  the  stack,  and  places  his  palms 
on  it  for  a  moment  while  he  gives  a  few  verbal  impres- 
sions to  the  sitter. 

He  now  takes  up  the  large  top  slate  in  one  hand, 
but  does  not  this  time  carry  up  a  concealed  slate  behind 
it.  The  subject  naturally  supposes  that  the  top  slate 
of  the  small  ones  is  the  one  bearing  the  questions ;  but 
it  is  not,  for  the  reason  that  when  the  operator  placed 
the  large  slate  on  the  stack  just  after  placing  the  ques- 
tion slate  on  it,  he  of  course  placed  the  concealed  small 
slate  on  the  stack  at  the  same  time.  The  question  slate 
is  therefore  the  second  slate  from  the  top  instead  of 
the  top  one. 

The  operator  now  lifts  off  the  top  small  slate  face 
dozvnzvards  with  the  other  hand,  and  places  it  on  the 
table  without  looking  at  its  under  surface.     The  sub- 


134        SPIRIT  SLATE- WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

ject  supposes  that  his  questions  are  on  its  under  sur- 
face, but  they  are  instead  on  the  under  surface  of  the 
top  small  slate  left  on  the  stack. 

The  operator  now  places  over  the  slate  on  the  table 
a  newspaper  which  is  at  hand,  at  the  same  time  laying 
down  on  the  stack  in  his  lap  the  large  slate  in  his  other 
hand.  He  now  requests  the  sitter  to  place  his  hand  on 
top  of  the  newspaper  which  rests  on  the  slate  that  he 
supposes  bears  his  questions.  The  operator  requests 
him  to  close  his  hand  tightly  and  allow  his  fist  to  rest 
on  the  paper  as  "this  makes  the  magnetism  better." 
This  prevents  the  subject  from  lifting  up  the  slate  and 
examining  it,  which  sometimes  happens  if  such  pre- 
cautions be  not  taken. 

The  operator  now  takes  up  the  large  slate  again 
from  the  stack  in  his  lap  and  appears  to  again  figure 
in  its  top  corner.  He,  of  course,  secretly  carries  up 
behind  it  the  slate  with  the  subject's  questions  on  it. 
While  appearing  to  figure,  he  quickly  reads  and  mem- 
orizes these  questions  and  names.  He  now  asks  the 
subject  to  remove  his  hand,  and  he  quickly  takes  the 
small  slate  under  the  paper  on  the  table  and  replaces 
it  on  the  stack,  at  the  same  time  placing  the  large  slate 
in  his  other  hand  on  top  of  it.  This  secretly  places  the 
question  slate  on  top  of  all  the  small  slates,  just  as  it 
should  be,  and  as  the  subject  has  supposed  it  to  be  all 
of  the  time. 

The  operator  now  asks  some  other  question  of  the 
sitter,  as,  "What  star  were  you  born  under  ?"  or  some- 
thing of  the  kind  and  makes  a  few  hieroglyphics  on 
the  large  slate ;  and  then  he  places  the  entire  stack  on 
the  table,  requesting  the  sitter  to  clean  the  slates.  The 
sitter  does  so,  and  of  course  finds  his  questions  on  the 
under  surface  of  the  upper  small  slate  as  it  should  be. 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I35 

The  Operator  requests  the  subject  not  to  let  him  see 
the  writing,  and  now  proceeds  with  the  reading.  He 
can  give  a  fine  verbal  reading  with  the  information 
he  now  possesses,  or  he  can  produce  a  message  as  I 
have  before  described  wherein  a  stack  of  slates  is  used 
and  the  message  written  in  the  subject's  presence. 

It  is  thus  easy  for  an  expert  performer  to  sit  down 
to  a  table  and  have  the  subject  write  his  questions  in 
the  operator's  presence,  to  write  the  answers  in  the 
sitter's  presence,  to  do  all  before  his  very  eyes  and 
yet  not  be  detected  in  any  of  it  as  the  secret  is  so  subtle. 
Such  performer  must,  however,  be  an  actor  and  a  mas- 
ter of  the  art  of  "misdirection." 
*     *     * 

There  is  another  means  of  secretly  securing  knowl- 
edge of  a  subject's  questions,  or,  as  is  sometimes  done 
by  mediums,  of  a  confession  of  some  secret  thing 
which  such  subject  has  done,  or  in  which  he  desires 
help,  and  yet  is  anxious  to  keep  secret.  Here  a  stack 
of  small  slates,  with  one  large  one,  is  again  used. 

In  the  latter  case  the  medium  informs  the  subject 
that  he  does  not  care  to  know  what  the  subject  may 
confess ;  but  that  it  is  necessary  for  him  to  write  out 
a  full  confession,  giving  all  names,  etc.,  if  he  desire 
spiritual  aid.  That,  however,  he  is  at  perfect  liberty 
to  keep  the  confession  entirely  secret. 

The  subject  is  then  given  a  slip  of  paper,  or  he  may 
use  his  own ;  and  he  is  directed  to  write  out  his  con- 
fession, or  questions,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  to  seal 
the  same  in  an  envelope  lying  on  the  table.  While  he 
is  doing  this  the  medium  is  sitting  and  writing  on  the 
large  slate,  as  if  busy  with  some  matter  of  his  own. 
He  sits  side-wise  to  the  subject  and  does  not  appear 
to  watch  him. 


136         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

When  the  subject  has  written  as  he  is  directed,  the 
medium  instructs  him  to  seal  his  paper  in  the  envelope 
and  to  lay  it  on  top  of  the  stack  of  small  slates  which 
are  on  the  table  in  front  of  him.  When  he  has  done 
so,  the  medium  places  the  large  slate  on  top  of  the 
stack  of  small  slates,  and  asks  the  sitter  to  write  on 
this  large  slate  the  name  of  some  dead  relative.  When 
this  is  done,  the  medium  lifts  the  large  slate  off  the 
stack,  secretly  carrying  under  it  the  top  small  slate. 
At  the  same  time  he  asks  the  sitter  if  the  name  on  the 
large  slate  be  that  of  a  dead  relative. 

Now,  on  the  second  small  slate  from  the  top,  the 
medium  has  previously  secretly  placed  a  duplicate  en- 
velope with  a  sheet  of  paper  in  it;  so  that  when  the 
top  slate  is  carried  away  secretly,  under  the  large  slate, 
and  bearing  on  its  upper  surface  between  it  and  the 
large  slate  the  envelope  containing  the  writing  of  the 
sitter,  this  duplicate  envelope  on  top  of  the  remaining 
slates  will  appear  to  be  the  one  the  sitter  has  just 
sealed  and  placed  there. 

The  operator  usually  has  some  paper  and  other  loose 
objects  on  one  end  of  the  table,  so  that  he  can  lay  down 
the  large  slate  with  the  concealed  one  under  it ;  and  so 
that  the  concealed  slate  will  not  make  its  presence 
known  by  preventing  the  large  slate  from  touching  the 
table,  as  would  be  the  case  were  it  laid  flat  on  the  table. 

The  operator  now  asks  the  subject  to  lay  "his"  en- 
velope on  the  table  to  one  side,  and  to  select  two  of 
the  slates.  This  he  does,  (really  laying  the  duplicate 
to  one  side),  and  the  medium  now  has  the  subject 
place  his  palms  on  these  selected  slates  and  try  for  a 
slate  writing.  He  remarks  that  he  does  not  feel  quite 
right  just  now,  and  fears  that  he  can  not  succeed,  as 
conditions  do  not  seem  favorable.    After  a  short  trial 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I37 

and  failure,  he  generally  tells  the  subject  that  he  will 
have  to  give  up  at  present;  but  for  him  to  return  to- 
morrow or  later  in  the  day,  and  he  will  make  a  second 
effort,  when  conditions  will  doubtless  be  more  favor- 
able. He  says,  ''Remember  your  questions  (or  con- 
fession)"; and  reaching,  he  takes  up  the  duplicate 
envelope  which  the  subject  thinks  contains  his  writing, 
and  says,  "I  will  let  you  take  this  with  you — no,  I  will 
not,  either;  as  that  would  not  be  right.  I  will  just 
burn  it  up."  Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  takes 
a  match  and  burns  the  duplicate  envelope  and  paper 
entirely  to  ashes,  allowing  the  latter  to  fall  on  one  of 
the  slates.  He  now  dismisses  the  subject,  after  making 
an  appointment  for  a  second  trial. 

As  soon  as  the  subject  has  departed,  the  medium 
lifts  the  large  slate ;  and  taking  up  the  original  enve- 
lope on  top  of  the  concealed  small  slate,  he  opens  and 
reads  the  confession,  or  questions,  as  the  case  may  be. 
He  thoroughly  memorizes  all,  and  prepares  a  fine  mes- 
sage, answering  everything;  so  that  when  the  subject 
returns,  he  will  have  all  of  his  writing  answered  very 
completely. 

The  medium  with  whom  I  am  acquainted,  and  who 
works  this  fine  trick  very  frequently,  generally  has  the 
subject  depart  and  make  a  second  visit  as  herein  de- 
scribed ;  but  if  he  prefer,  he  can,  after  failing  to  pro- 
duce a  message,  and  after  burning  the  duplicate  en- 
velope, conduct  his  guest  to  some  other  apartment  for 
some  other  experiment,  and  return  later  for  a  second 
trial  for  a  message.  In  this  case  an  assistant  enters 
the  room,  reads  the  writing,  and  prepares  the  message 
during  the  absence  of  the  medium  and  his  guest. 

If  the  medium  have  a  dark  chamber,  he  can  have 
taken  the  subject  into  it  for  some  dark  sitting  mani- 


138        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

festations ;  as  the  absence  of  light-waves  is  very  con- 
ducive to  success  with  the  "spirits,"  and  is  very  helpful 
in  ''establishing  favorable  conditions  and  harmony." 
After  some  experiments  here  they  return  and  again 
try  for  a  slate  writing;  and  this  time  the  subject  is 
thoroughly  satisfied  and  convinced. 
*     *     * 

If  when  a  sitter  receive  a  slate  writing  from  a  dear 
one  who  is  dead,  he  receive  in  addition  thereto  a  token 
of  love  in  the  shape  of  a  flower,  a  handkerchief  of 
soft  silk,  or  some  other  object,  the  performance  has 
a  very  emotional  effect  on  him ;  and  such  token  is 
usually  preserved  throughout  life.  Now,  in  working 
any  of  these  tricks  using  a  stack  of  slates,  if  a  larger 
number  of  small  slates  be  used,  such  as  twelve  or 
more,  two  slates  can  be  added  or  removed  under  the 
large  slate  instead  of  one,  and  will  attract  no  notice 
if  removed  or  added  when  a  sufficient  number  are  in 
the  stack.  These  two  may  contain  between  them,  in 
addition  to  the  message,  such  flower  or  token  as  the 
medium  may  desire. 

If  the  performer  be  able  deftly  to  hold  the  token 
against  the  lower  side  of  the  concealed  small  slate, 
and  adroitly  to  insert  it,  he  need  not  have  more  than 
one  small  slate  under  the  large  one. 

VII. 

There  is  a  trick  wherein  but  two  slates  are  used  that 
is  very  effective.  I  will  give  the  explanation  and  effect 
together  in  this  case. 

I  have  the  message  prepared  on  one  of  the  slates, 
and  I  use  a  small  center  table  such  as  has  a  shelf  at- 
tached to  the  legs  about  a  foot  above  the  floor.  I  lean 
the  prepared  slate  on  the  floor  against  this  shelf,  and 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         1 39 

out  of  view  on  the  side  of  the  table  opposite  where  the 
subject  is  to  sit.  I  have  a  chair  near  the  same  side 
of  the  table  where  I  will  later  take  my  seat. 

On  the  center  of  the  table  a  number  of  newspapers 
lie  carelessly.  I  place  a  chair  near  the  side  of  the  table 
where  I  desire  the  spectator  to  sit.  I  now  seat  him 
on  this  chair  and  stepping  to  a  drawer,  I  bring  him  a 
small  slate  with  bound  edges;  one  that  looks  just  like 
the  one  containing  the  message.  I  ask  him  to  thor- 
oughly examine  or  clean  it;  and  as  he  does  so  I  seat 
myself  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  table.  I  now  re- 
quest him  to  place  his  slate  flat  on  the  table,  and  to 
place  his  palms  on  it.  I  then  request  him  to  rest  his 
face  on  his  hands  while  they  lie  on  the  slate  for  a  half 
minute,  and  to  close  his  eyes  and  make  his  mind  pas- 
sive while  so  doing. 

While  he  does  this  I  secretly  reach  to  the  floor,  lift 
the  message  slate  and  lay  it  flat  on  my  knees  under 
the  table,  message  side  up.  I  now  place  my  palms  on 
the  table  and  in  a  few  moments  ask  the  subject  to  ex- 
amine his  slate  for  a  message.  He,  of  course,  finds 
none;  and  I  seem  disappointed  at  this,  but  request 
him  to  hold  it  for  a  time  on  the  table  and  try  again. 
This  all  lends  an  air  of  great  honesty  to  the  perform- 
ance and  tends  to  throw  the  subject  off  his  guard.  On 
examining  the  slate  again  he  finds  nothing,  so  I  take 
the  slate  from  his  hands  and  examine  it  to  see  if  there 
actually  be  no  sign  of  writing.  Finding  nothing,  I 
place  the  slate  under  the  table  near  the  center,  with 
my  right  hand,  in  a  rather  hurried  manner;  and  I 
request  him  to  reach  his  right  hand  under  the  table 
and  grasp  the  slate  and  to  press  it  to  the  table  above  it. 
I  tell  him  to  leave  his  left  palm  on  the  table ;  and  I  take 
his  attention  sufficiently  in  telling  him  how  to  place 


140        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

his  left  palm  on  the  table,  that  it  prevents  him  from 
looking  under  the  table  in  any  manner.  I  immediately 
bring  out  my  right  hand,  leaving  him  holding  the  slate 
with  his  one  hand. 

I  suppose  that  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  as 
I  lower  my  right  hand  with  the  examined  slate  below 
the  table,  I  leave  this  slate  on  my  lap  and  instantly, 
without  pause,  carry  up  under  the  table  the  prepared 
slate  which  is  on  my  knees. 

Now,  that  the  subject  is  holding  the  message  slate 
in  proper  position  with  his  other  palm  on  top  of  the 
table,  I  make  a  move  as  if  to  place  my  right  hand  on 
the  center  of  the  table.  Meanwhile  my  left  hand  has 
dropped  out  of  sight,  apparently,  by  my  side.  I  seem 
annoyed  by  the  newspapers  in  the  center  of  the  table, 
and  remark,  "I  will  clear  these  out  of  the  way."  As 
I  say  this  I  take  a  number  of  them  in  my  right  hand 
and  pass  them  to  my  left  hand,  which  comes  up  near 
the  height  of  the  table  top  to  meet  my  right;  but  it 
secretly  contains  the  slate  which  was  left  on  my  lap. 
The  papers  in  my  right  hand  are  moved  towards  my 
left  hand  so  as  to  conceal  this  slate,  and  my  left  hand 
grasps  them  on  top  of  the  slate  which  it  contains.  The 
left  hand  should  not  be  high  enough  for  the  back  edge 
of  the  slate  to  be  in  view  of  the  sitter,  until  after  the 
papers  are  passed  over  it  and  grasped  on  top  of  the 
slate.  As  I  make  this  move  I  am  rising  form  the 
chair;  and  with  my  right  hand  I  pick  up  the  remain- 
ing papers  and  pass  them  also  to  my  left  hand,  but 
this  time  I  pass  them  underneath  the  others;  so  that 
the  slate  is  now  between  the  papers  in  my  left  hand. 
At  the  same  time  I  take  hold  of  my  chair  with  my  right 
hand  and  set  it  back  out  of  my  way. 

I  now  quickly  place  the  papers   on  a  table  just 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I4I 

through  a  folding  door  and  secretly  place  the  discarded 
slate  in  a  concealed  position.  I  do  this  very  quickly 
and  return ;  hut  meanwhile  I  am  instructing  the  sitter 
hozv  to  press  his  right  palm  to  the  table  with  the  Ungers 
spread  apart,  but  with  thumb  contacting  the  first  finger, 
etc.  I  keep  my  eyes  on  him  except  for  a  moment  and 
take  his  attention  so  that  there  is  no  danger  of  his 
examining  the  slate  the  mere  instant  I  am  out  of  view. 
I  return  at  once  to  the  table,  standing,  this  time,  and 
placing  my  palms  on  each  side  of  his.  In  due  time  he 
brings  out  his  slate  and  finds  the  message. 

Should  he  examine  the  table  nothing  can  be  found, 
neither  can  anything  be  found  on  my  person.  This 
trick  is  very  effective ;  and  the  sitter  usually  forgets 
that  I  placed  the  slate  under  the  table  for, him,  and 
states  afterwards  that  the  slate  never  left  his  hands 
after  he  cleaned  it. 

When  I  place  the  slate  under  the  table  in  the  first 
place,  I  remark,  "May  be  if  the  slate  is  under  the  table 
we  will  get  something ;"  at  the  same  instant  placing  it 
under  in  a  natural  manner,  and  requesting  him  to  pass 
his  right  hand  under  the  table  and  grasp  it.  I  make 
no  pause  in  changing  the  slates  on  my  lap,  and  the  use 
of  slates  with  bound  edges  prevents  all  noise. 

This  trick  may  seem  difficult  to  the  reader,  but  I 
assure  him  that  it  is  very  simple.  It  only  requires  that 
the  details  be  well  fixed  in  the  mind  of  the  operator, 
and  that  he  have  ample  courage  to  try  it  and  direct 
all  operations  himself.  He  must  be  perfectly  at  home 
and  not  in  the  lesat  embarrassed,  and  must  act  with 
perfect  self-confidence. 


142         SPIRIT  SLATE -WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 


VIII. 

I  will  next  describe  a  slate  trick  sold  by  certain 
dealers.  It  is  a  very  excellent  trick  and  is  used  by 
many  of  the  very  best  performers  of  the  present  day.  I 
know  a  professional  medium  who  uses  it  very  success- 
fully. I  happened  to  meet  him ;  and  in  the  course  of 
certain  discussions  over  trickery  resorted  to  by  certain 
mediums,  I  made  mention  of  this  trick,  and  even  per- 
formed it  for  him,  afterwards  explaining  it  to  him. 
I  soon  heard  of  his  performing  a  slate  test  which 
answers  the  description  of  this  one,  and  with  which 
he  was  so  successful  that  he  received  almost  a  column 
notice  in  the  Progressive  Thinker  of  May  26,  1906. 

I  may  incidentally  mention  that  prior  to  my  discus- 
sion of  the  subject  with  him,  he  gave  no  slate-writing 
tests.  In  fact,  when  I  first  met  him,  he  made  no  claims 
to  mediumistic  powers,  but  merely  acted  as  manager 
for  his  wife  who  was  a  medium.  I  also  happened  to 
explain  the  billet  test  to  him,  wherein  the  spectators 
write  questions  on  thin  cards  addressing  them  to  spirits 
and  then  seal  them  in  envelopes.  They  are  taken  to 
the  operator,  who  wuth  them,  is  placed  under  a  large 
cloth  cover  and  enveloped  in  perfect  darkness.  The 
operator  reads  them  by  holding  a  small  electric  flash 
light  behind  the  envelopes  in  the  darkness.  The  en- 
velopes are  rendered  transparent  in  this  manner,  and 
the  writing  can  be  easily  read. 

I  soon  thereafter  heard  of  his  working  this  trick  in 
a  public  hall,  going  into  a  trance,  lying  on  a  table,  be- 
ing covered  with  a  large  drape  and  in  absolute  dark- 
ness. The  billets  were  placed  under  the  cover  with 
him,  and  he  gave  the  tests,  handing  out  each  envelope 
unopened  as  he  answered  the  question  it  contained. 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I43 

The  audience  was  greatly  impressed  with  this  seance. 
I  will  now  describe  the  slate  trick. 

The  performer  enters  with  three  slates.  The  subject 
is  seated  in  a  chair  but  the  operator  or  medium  remains 
standing.  The  operator  now  lays  the  three  slates  on 
a  table  close  at  hand.  He  picks  up  the  top  slate,  which 
is  free  of  all  writing,  and  washes  and  dries  it  on  both 
sides;  then  holding  it  to  the  eyes  of  the  subject,  asks 
him  if  the  slate  is  perfectly  clean,  exhibiting  both  sides 
to  his  view.  It  is  a  fact  so  evident  that  the  subject 
thinks  everything  honest,  and,  in  fact,  does  not  look 
for  trickery. 

The  operator  now  asks  the  subject  to  take  this  slate 
in  his  right  hand  and  hold  it.  This  the  subject  does, 
and  is  of  course  at  liberty  to  thoroughly  examine  the 
slate,  which  for  that  reason  he  seldom  does.  If  he 
should  do  so  there  is  no  harm  done,  for  the  slate  is 
without  preparation. 

The  operator  then  takes  the  next  slate  from  the 
table,  cleans  and  exhibits  it  in  the  same  manner,  and 
finally  requests  the  subject  to  hold  this  slate  in  his  left 
hand.  This  the  subject  does.  The  operator  now  takes 
up  the  remaining  slate  and  thoroughly  cleans  and  ex- 
hibits both  sides  of  it  to  the  spectator.  Then  taking 
two  of  the  slates,  he  places  two  sides  of  them  together 
right  under  the  eyes  of  the  sitter,  calling  his  attention 
to  the  fact  that  no  writing  is  on  either. 

The  operator  now  ties  the  two  slates  together  and 
gives  them  to  the  subject  to  hold  in  his  lap,  and  asks 
the  subject  to  place  his  handkerchief  on  them.  Next 
the  operator  takes  a  silk  foulard  or  ordinary  muffler, 
and  asks  the  subject  to  wrap  the  remaining  slate  in 
this,  to  place  it  on  top  of  the  other  two  slates,  and  to 
place  his  hands  on  the  same.     This  is  done  and  the 


144         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

Operator  takes  care  thereafter  in  no  way  to  go  near 
or  touch  the  slates.  Meanwhile  he  talks  on  the  proper 
subject  for  a  time,  and  then  directs  the  spectator  to 
open  and  examine  the  slates.  When  he  does  so  he 
finds  a  long  spirit  message  completely  covering  one 
side  of  one  of  the  slates. 

If  in  any  manner  it  has  been  possible  for  the  operator 
to  have  previously  become  acquainted  with  any  of  the 
history  of  the  sitter,  this  message  may  be  from  a  de- 
parted friend  or  relative,  in  which  case  the  effect  on 
him  is  very  great. 

What  was  it  that  happened  without  the  knowledge 
of  the  sitter?  In  what  way  has  the  operator  accom- 
plished this  illusion?  First  there  are  certain  moves 
that  escape  the  notice  of  the  subject,  and  are  forgotten 
simply  because  they  are  accomplished  in  a  perfectly 
natural  manner.  Also  there  is  a  secret  about  one  of 
the  slates.  It  is  of  the  style  known  as  a  "flap  slate," 
Such  a  slate  is  an  ordinary  one,  except  that  there  is 
a  loose  piece  of  slate  called  a  *'flap"  which  fits  neatly 
into  the  frame  of  the  slate.  When  the  flap  is  in  posi- 
tion the  slate  appears  to  the  sight  as  an  ordinary  slate, 
and  any  message  written  on  the  surface  of  the  slate 
proper  under  this  flap,  can  not  be  seen.  The  flap  fits 
loosely  enough  so  that  if  the  slate  be  turned  over  it 
will  fall  out  and  expose  the  concealed  message.  There 
are  many  trick  slates,  but  the  "flap  slate"  is  the  best 
and  the  one  most  generally  used.  It  can  be  used  in  a 
number  of  different  ways. 

This  slate,  with  the  message  prepared  upon  it  and 
signed,  and  the  flap  in  position  over  it,  is  situated  at 
the  bottom  of  the  three  slates.  The  performer  places 
these  three  slates  on  a  small  table  or  chair  when  he 
enters  as  stated  at  first.     He  cleans  and  exhibits  the 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I45 

first  two  slates  and  gives  them  to  the  subject  to  hold 
as  already  described.  Now  he  next  cleans  and  exhibits 
the  third  slate,  using  care  to  grasp  it  with  his  fingers 
so  that  the  flap  does  not  drop  out.  He  turns  both  sides 
of  it  to  the  subject  for  inspection,  who,  after  having 
so  thoroughly  examined  the  others,  is  by  this  time  tired 
of  the  repetition  of  such  close  examination  where  noth- 
ing can  be  discovered,  and  is  therefore  more  ready  to 
look  and  be  satisfied. 

The  performer  now  takes  from  the  subject's  hand 
one  of  the  other  slates  and  places  it  on  top  of  the  slate 
in  his  own  hand.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  slate 
in  the  operator's  hand  is  flap  side  up  and  in  a  hori- 
zontal position.  He  places  the  side  edge  of  the  un- 
prepared slate  on  the  side  edge  of  the  flap  slate,  one 
being  at  a  right  angle  to  the  other,  and  then  he  calls 
attention  to  the  fact  that  there  is  no  writing  between 
the  two  slates.-    He  next  closes  the  slates. 

Now  here  comes  the  natural  move  that  escapes  the 
subject  and  is  forgotten  afterwards.  The  operator 
appears  to  be  examining  the  edges  of  the  two  slates 
to  see  if  they  fit  neatly;  and  in  doing  so  he  looks 
toward  the  window  or  other  light,  and  holds  the  two 
slates  to  this  light  edgewise  as  if  he  were  peering 
between  them  to  see  if  they  fit.  As  he  brings  up  the 
slates  to  look  through  them  he  merely  turns  the  for- 
ward end  over  towards  his  eyes  and  peers  through. 

This  move  attracts  less  attention,  if  the  operator  first 
tilt  the  right  edge  of  the  slates  downward,  and  appar- 
ently inspects  the  left  edge  of  them  as  if  looking  to  see 
if  they  fit  neatly.  He  should  then  immediately  bring 
them  to  a  horizontal  position,  tilt  up  the  end  furthest 
from  himself,  inspect  it  an  instant,  and  then  elevate 
the  lower  end  towards  a  window  or  light  and  peer 


146        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

through.  In  this  manner  the  moves  seem  natural, 
and  if  executed  rapidly  attract  no  notice. 

This  turn,  of  course,  brings  the  flap  slate  to  the 
top  and  the  flap  falls  from  it  quietly  into  the  unpre- 
pared slate.  As  the  performer  looks  through  these 
slates  he  remarks  that  they  do  not  seem  to  fit  properly ; 
and  suiting  his  action  to  the  word  he  lowers  his  hands 
with  the  slates  to  the  table,  leaving  the  lower  or  un- 
prepared slate,  now  containing  the  flap,  on  the  table. 
Remarking,  "Let  me  try  that  one,"  he  takes  the  re- 
maining slate  from  the  subject,  quickly  placing  his 
slate  on  top  of  it.  As  he  does  all  this  he  of  course 
does  not  expose  the  lower  side  of  the  slate  in  his  hands 
to  the  view  of  the  subject,  because  it  contains  the  mes- 
sage. He  holds  this  slate  slightly  tilted  so  that  the 
message  side  is  away  from  the  subject. 

As  he  takes  this  second  slate  from  the  subject,  he 
places  his  slate  on  top  of  it  and  peers  through  between 
them  quickly,  remarking  that  they  fit  better ;  and  then 
taking  a  long  piece  of  tape  he  quickly  ties  and  binds 
these  two  slates.  He  now  places  them  on  the  sitter's 
lap.  Taking  a  small  piece  of  chalk  or  slate  pencil 
which  he  has  apparently  forgotten,  he  slips  the  top 
slate  at  one  corner  slightly  to  one  side,  and  drops  the 
chalk  into  the  lower  slate,  slipping  the  top  one  back 
into  position.  He  now  asks  the  subject  to  place  his 
handkerchief  over  the  slates  and  his  hands  on  the 
same.  This  employs  him  and  keeps  his  attention  from 
the  third  slate  on  the  table  which  now  contains  the 
discarded  flap.  This  slate  appears  to  the  eyes  as 
merely  an  ordinary  one,  although  it  contains  this  flap. 

The  operator  now  picks  up  this  third  slate,  and 
apparently  looking  for  something,  asks  the  subject, 
"Where   did    I   place   the   silk    muffler?"     As   there 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I47 

was  no  silk  muffler  brought  out,  this  surprises  the 
subject  and  takes  his  attention ;  the  operator  then  re- 
marks, "I  guess  I  forgot  it,"  and  steps  through  the 
folding  doors  to  get  it.  He  of  course  carries  the  third 
slate  with  the  Hap  in  it,  zmth  him.  When  out  of  sight 
he  drops  the  Hap  into  a  drawer,  and  quickly  returning 
with  the  slik  muffler  and  third  slate,  starts  to  wrap  up 
this  slate ;  but  changing  his  mind  he  requests  the  sub- 
ject to  wrap  it  up,  place  it  on  top  of  the  others,  and 
then  to  place  his  palms  on  the  same.  This  gives  the 
subject  ample  opportunity  to  examine  this  third  slate, 
and  he  soon  forgets  that  the  operator  carried  it  out 
of  the  room  for  an  instant.  Of  course  the  message 
will  be  found  on  the  top  slate  of  the  two  that  were 
tied  together,  and  the  others  never  have  anything  on 
them. 

By  this  time  the  subject  has  forgotten  the  little  move 
where  the  operator  laid  down  one  slate  on  the  table, 
and  took  the  other  from  him,  tying  them  together. 
*     *     * 

As  I  perform  this  trick,  I  usually  perform  it  for  a 
company  as  a  conjuring  trick.  I  cause  a  selected  word 
and  its  definition  in  a  dictionary  held  by  a  spectator,  to 
appear  on  the  slate  in  chalk  writing.  I  force  the  selec- 
tion of  the  word  after  the  slates  are  tied  together,  and 
while  they  are  held  by  a  spectator. 

The  manner  in  which  I  do  this  is  as  follows:  I  first 
bring  from  a  table  in  the  adjoining  parlor  a  pack  of 
cards  which  resemble  playing  cards  on  their  backs,  but 
they  have  only  different  printed  numbers  on  the  face. 
I  exhibit  these  and  return  them  to  the  table. 

As  I  do  this  I  of  course  exchange  them  for  another 
pack  made  up  of  cards  bearing  only  two  numbers ; 
that  is,  half  of  the  cards  bear  one  number,  and  half 


148        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

of  them  another  number.  Let  us  suppose  these  num- 
bers are  38  and  42.  I  arrange  the  pack  previous  to 
the  trick  with  these  two  numbers  alternately,  so  that 
if  the  pack  be  cut  or  separated  at  any  point,  the  next 
two  cards  will  be  cards  bearing  the  numbers  38  and 
42.  I  leave  this  pack  in  view  on  the  table,  and  the 
spectators  think  it  the  pack  they  have  just  examined. 

I  now  return  with  a  velvet  bag  on  the  end  of  a  stick 
or  long  handle,  and  ask  some  one  to  take  from  this 
bag  a  number  of  small  wooden  discs,  and  to  read  and 
call  off  the  numbers  printed  on  each,  and  then  to 
return  them  to  the  bag.  This  is  done,  and  each  is 
seen  to  bear  a  different  number.  Now  reaching  this 
bag  to  some  one  else,  I  request  him  to  draw  a  single 
disc  from  this  bag  and  retain  the  same,  but  not  to 
look  at  it.  This  is  done  and  he  of  course  draws  one 
with  the  number  on  it  that  I  desire,  for  the  reason 
that  the  bag  on  the  end  of  the  stick  is  double ;  that  is, 
it  has  a  partition  in  it  forming  two  compartments. 

The  stick  or  handle  is  of  tin  japanned,  and  is  hollow, 
containing  a  piston  operated  by  a  spring  from  a  win- 
dow curtain  roller.  This  piston  is  a  wire,  and  it  ex- 
tends beyond  the  handle,  through  a  seam  in  the  top 
of  the  cloth  partition  in  the  bag ;  and  this  part  is  bent 
in  a  half  circle,  the  same  as  the  sides  of  the  upper  edge 
of  the  bag. 

When  I  bring  the  bag  in,  I  have  the  partition  to 
one  side,  so  that  the  compartment  containing  the  discs 
made  up  of  different  numbers,  is  open.  After  a  spec- 
tator examines  a  handful  of  discs  and  returns  them, 
I  release  the  pressure  I  am  exerting  on  the  rear  end 
of  the  handle,  allowing  the  piston  to  revolve;  and  it 
thus  opens  the  compartment  wherein  all  the  discs  are 
of  a  single  number,  and  at  the  same  time  closes  the 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I49 

Other  compartment.  The  person  drawing  the  disc  can 
only  draw  the  number  desired,  as  all  the  discs  in  this 
compartment  bear  the  same  number. 

This  number  indicates  the  number  of  the  correct 
word  on  the  page.  I  next  bring  forward  the  pack  of 
substituted  number  cards,  and  asking  some  spectator 
to  cut  them,  I  next  ask  him  to  select  the  two  left  on 
top.  I  return  the  others  to  a  drawer,  and  ask  him  to 
add  up  the  two  numbers  on  the  selected  cards  and  give 
the  result.  This  sum  indicates  which  page  in  the  dic- 
tionary the  third  spectator,  who  holds  it,  shall  select. 
This  the  third  spectator  does,  and  he  then  counts  to  the 
selected  word  indicated  by  the  selected  disc,  and  reads 
it  aloud.  I  move  my  hand  mysteriously  over  the  slates 
for  a  moment  and  appear  to  listen  intently,  after  which 
I  direct  the  spectator  holding  the  slates  to  examine 
them.  The  effect  is  very  startling.  The  paraphernalia 
for  this  trick  can  be  obtained  from  any  of  the  con- 
juring depots. 

I  will  here  describe  how  to  prepare  the  slates  for  this 
experiment.  I  go  to  a  store  with  a  good  supply  of 
slates,  take  a  piece  of  stiff  pastepoard  and  cut  it  to  fit 
nicely  into  the  bevel  of  the  frame  of  some  good  slate 
which  I  wish  to  use.  I  then  try  this  pasteboard  flap 
in  other  slates  until  I  find  one  in  which  this  flap  fits 
nicely  on  either  side  of  the  slate.  I  lay  this  one  aside 
for  my  purpose  and  select  another,  making  three  that 
have  frames  which  are  uniform  in  size  on  both  sides, 
and  which  are  all  the  same  in  size,  measuring  within  the 
bevel  of  the  frames.  These  frames  should  also  be  per- 
fectly square  at  the  corners  inside  the  bevel.  As  the 
slates  in  stock  vary  in  size,  this  careful  selection  is 
necessary.    I  use  slates  seven  by  nine  inches  inside  the 


150         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING   AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

bevel  for  this  trick,  which  is  the  most  suitable  size. 
I  also  select  slates  with  true  or  level  surfaces. 

I  next  select  a  slate  with  a  true  surface,  but  as  thin 
as  possible.  I  use  the  slate  in  this  to  make  the  loose 
slate  flap.  I  mark  the  slate  portion  around  next  the 
frame  with  a  knife,  then  saw  away  the  frame.  I  next 
take  a  saw  such  as  is  used  in  sawing  metal,  and  saw 
away  the  edges  of  the  flap  at  the  marks  I  have  made. 
I  now  try  this  flap  in  one  of  the  slates ;  and  if  it  be 
too  tight,  I  remedy  by  use  of  a  file.  I  also  bevel  the 
edges  of  this  flap  for  a  half  inch,  so  that  when  it  is 
placed  in  the  frame  of  one  of  the  slates,  the  slate  will 
appear  nearly  natural  by  showing  some  of  the  bevel 
of  the  frame  on  that  side. 

It  is  quite  necessary  to  select  slates  with  as  deep  a 
bevel  to  the  frames  as  possible ;  and  if  the  flap  be  too 
thick,  it  is  necessary  to  grind  it  thinner  with  a  stone, 
and  then  smooth  up  with  a  smooth  stone  or  a  block 
and  some  fine  powder. 

I  prefer  padded  slates,  but  select  those  on  which  the 
cloth  binding  is  not  too  wide ;  as  I  desire  the  slates  to 
rest  closely  together  when  I  turn  them,  so  that  the 
flap  will  not  have  to  fall  far;  and  so  it  will  be  more 
certain  to  fall  within  the  frame  of  the  lower  slate. 

IX. 

I  will  here  describe  another  trick,  where  only  a 
double  or  hinged  slate  is  used.  I  will  give  the  ex- 
planation and  effect  both  together.  I  select  for  this  a 
double  or  hinged  slate  size  five  by  seven,  and  prepare 
a  flap  to  fit  in  one  side  of  one  of  the  slates.  It  makes 
no  difference  whether  it  fit  any  of  the  other  sides  or 
not.  I  bevel  this  flap  on  one  side  only,  as  but  one  side 
of  it  ever  shows.    I  paste  a  sheet  of  newspaper  on  the 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I5I 

side  that  is  not  beveled.  This  must  be  trimmed  off 
very  accurately  and  well  glued  to  the  flap  with  library 
paste. 

I  prepare  the  message  with  a  soapstone  pencil  or 
a  piece  of  chalk,  and  cover  it  with  this  flap.  The  slate 
now  appears  perfectly  natural.  I  seat  my  subject  at 
a  table  on  which  are  scattered  some  newspapers.  The 
table  should  be  large  enough  for  these  papers  to  be 
in  two  piles.  One  of  the  piles  usually  has  only  one 
paper  in  it  which  is  opened  out  on  the  table.  This  is 
farthest  from  the  sitter.  The  other  papers  are  directly 
in  front  of  him. 

The  message  is  on  the  outside  of  one  of  the  slates  of 
the  double  slate,  with  the  flap  over  it,  so  that  it  appears 
as  an  ordinary  slate.  I  grasp  this  slate  in  my  left  hand 
with  my  fingers  on  the  flap  side,  and  my  thumb  on  the 
opposite  side.  The  hinged  edge  of  the  slates  is  the 
edge  that  is  in  my  hand.  I  hold  the  back  of  my  left 
hand  facing  the  sitter,  who  is  at  my  right  hand,  seated 
at  the  table. 

I  exhibit  this  flap  side  of  the  slate  to  him,  calling 
his  attention  to  the  fact  that  it  is  free  from  writing. 
I  also  rub  a  dry  handkerchief  over  it  as  if  making  this 
fact  doubly  sure.  I  instantly  turn  my  hand  exhibiting 
the  other  side  to  his  view,  and  likewise  calling  his 
attention  to  the  fact  of  its  freedom  from  writing.  I 
now  lay  the  slate  flat  on  the  newspaper  under  my  left 
hand  flap  side  down,  just  as  I  am  holding  it.  As  I 
do  this  I  slightly  pull  up  my  sleeves  as  if  they  annoy 
me,  and  as  if  this  were  why  I  have  just  laid  the  slate 
down.  Of  course,  when  the  slate  is  laid  down  in  this 
position,  the  flap  drops  instantly  on  the  newspaper ;  and 
afterwards,  when  the  slate  is  lifted  up,  it  remains  on 
the  paper.     It  will  not  be  noticed  at  all,  having  the 


152         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

sheet  of  newspaper  pasted  to  its  upper  surface,  if  the 
attention  of  the  subject  is  not  directed  to  this  paper, 
but  is  kept  instead  on  the  slate  as  it  is  being  handled. 

I  instantly  remark,  ''Of  course,  you  desire  to  see  the 
inside  of  these  slates  also" ;  and  suiting  the  action  to 
the  word,  I  carelessly  lift  the  upper  slate  with  my  left 
hand,  grasping  it  by  the  edge  nearest  the  spectator. 
This  is  the  edge  opposite  the  cloth  hinge ;  so  as  I  lift 
this  edge  up,  the  slates  assume  a  vertical  position, 
opening  out  and  hanging  suspended  below  my  hand. 
The  insides  of  the  two  slates  are  thus  exposed  to  the 
view  of  the  subject,  and  are  seen  to  be  free  from 
writing.  I  take  my  right  hand  and  quickly  grasp  the 
lower  slate,  closing  it  up  under  the  upper  one,  which 
at  the  same  time  I  lower  to  a  horizontal  positon. 

This  folds  the  two  slates  together  or  closes  them,  by 
folding  in  the  direction  away  from  the  sitter;  so  that 
what  were  before  rfie  inside  surfaces  of  the  slates  are 
now  the  outside,  and  the  hinged  edge  now  faces  the 
subject.  The  message  is  now  inside  the  slates  on  the 
upper  surface  of  the  lower  one. 

I  now  grasp  both  slates  with  my  left  hand,  and  I 
take  a  rubber  band  from  my  pocket  with  my  right  hand 
and  quickly  snap  it  around  them.  I  give  the  slates  to 
the  spectator  and  say,  "Place  them  on  the  table  with 
your  palms  on  them.  I  will  remove  these  papers  which 
are  in  the  way."  As  I  say  this  I  lift  the  pile  of  papers 
from  in  front  of  him ;  and  as  he  places  the  slate  on  the 
table,  I  place  these  papers  on  top  of  the  other  paper  on 
which  rests  the  invisible  flap.  I  lift  this  paper  up  now 
with  the  others,  and  take  them  all  including  the  dis- 
carded flap,  and  quickly  remove  them  from  view. 

Meanwhile  I  instruct  the  sitter  how  to  hold  his 
palms,  and  I  instantly  return  and  direct  the  seance. 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         1 53 

In  due  time  he  finds  the  message.  This  trick  is  ex- 
cellent if  worked  carefully  and  not  too  slowly.  If  used 
in  the  daylight,  too  strong  a  light  should  be  avoided ; 
although  I  have  no  trouble  anywhere,  because  I  al- 
ways keep  absolute  control  of  the  subject's  attention, 
which  is  the  most  vital  part  of  any  trick. 


I  will  next  describe  a  trick  known  to  the  "profes- 
sion" as  ''Independent  Paper  Writing."  A  number  of 
small  tablets  of  scratch  paper  are  brought  out.  The 
size  that  I  generally  use  is  about  four  by  five  inches. 
The  subject  is  requested  to  select  a  sheet  of  paper  from 
any  of  the  tablets,  which  he  does.  Meanwhile  the 
operator  brings  to  the  table  two  slates  about  the  size 
of  seven  by  nine  inches  inside  measure. 

The  operator  requests  the  subject  to  place  his  sheet 
of  paper  on  one  of  the  slates,  which  he  does.  There 
is  no  writing  on  the  slates,  which  fact  the  subject  can 
see.  The  other  slate  is  now  placed  on  top  of  the  one 
with  the  sheet  of  blank  paper.  The  edges  of  the  slates 
are  made  even,  and  the  slates  held  for  a  time  on  the 
head  of  the  medium  in  view  of  the  sitter.  In  due  time 
the  slates  are  separated  and  the  paper  is  found  to  be 
covered  with  a  message  on  both  sides.  The  writing 
is  in  pencil  or  ink  according  to  the  pleasure  of  the 
operator. 

If  the  subject  has  previously  been  induced  to  write 
his  questions  and  retain  the  same,  this  message  an- 
swers them  in  detail  and  is  signed  by  the  name  of  the 
spirit  to  whom  they  were  addressed. 

There  are  many  means  of  securing  knowledge  of 
questions  written  secretly.  Some  of  the  best  I  am  un- 
able to  give  in  this  work,  as  I  am  under  a  contract  with 


154         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

the  dealer  from  whom  I  purchased  the  same  to  main- 
tain secrecy  in  regard  to  the  method.  Any  of  the 
means  previously  given  may  be  used  if  the  performer 
desire.  Farther  on,  however,  I  will  give  some  addi- 
tional information  on  the  subject. 

I  will  now  explain  the  slate  part  of  the  ^'Independent 
Paper  Writing."  The  slates  are  selected  from  bound 
slates,  just  as  the  three  slates  were  selected  for  the 
first  "flap  slate"  trick.  One  of  these  contains  a  flap, 
but  it  is  not  a  slate  flap.  It  is  what  is  known  as  a 
"silicate  slate  flap."  These  are  very  light  and  about  as 
thick  as  pasteboard.  Procured  from  some  dealers  they 
are  a  little  too  dark  to  exactly  match  the  slate  in  color, 
but  I  have  generally  been  able  to  procure  exactly  the 
proper  shade  from  George  L.  Williams  &  Co.,  7145 
Champlain  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 

In  the  prepared  slate  which  I  lay  upon  the  table,  and 
upon  which  the  subject  is  to  place  the  blank  sheet  of 
paper,  is  a  similar  sheet  of  paper  under  the  flap.  The 
message  is,  of  course,  written  on  this  paper  in  advance. 
As  the  flap  is  over  it,  nothing  can  be  seen  and  the  slate 
appears  merely  as  an  ordinary  one.  Most  generally  I 
take  the  sheet  of  paper  from  my  subject  with  the  tips 
of  my  fingers  and  place  it  on  this  slate.  I  then  lay  the 
other  slate,  which  I  exhibit  to  the  spectator,  on  top  of 
this  one.  I  even  up  the  edges,  and  then  grasp  the  two 
slates  by  their  edges  tightly  and  bring  them  on  top  of 
my  head  for  a  time.  This  move  naturally  turns  the 
slates  over,  and  of  course  the  flap  drops  quietly  into  the 
lower  slate.  Meanwhile  I  address  the  subject  in  the 
proper  manner;  and  when  I  take  the  slates  down, 
lowering  them  to  the  table,  I  leave  the  slate  that  is 
next  my  head  underneath  the  other  one.  I  lift  off  the 
top  slate  and  hand  the  subject  the  slip  of  paper,  which 


SPIRIT   SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         1 55 

he  sees  at  the  first  glance  is  covered  with  writing.  The 
effect  is  very  great. 

The  subject  immediately  begins  to  read  the  message 
with  such  interest,  that  I  have  ample  opportunity  to 
take  the  slate  containing  the  flap  in  my  left  hand,  and 
while  the  subject  reads  the  message  aloud  (which  I 
direct  him  to  do),  I  step  through  a  door  to  a  drawer 
to  get  some  article ;  and,  of  course,  I  drop  the  flap  and 
concealed  slip  of  blank  paper  into  the  drawer,  but  keep 
the  slate  still  in  my  hand  as  I  return  to  the  subject. 
I  then  lay  this  slate  on  the  table  while  I  inspect  the 
message. 

This  is  really  one  of  the  most  eflfective  tricks  and  is 
very  easy  to  perform.  The  operator  should  select  slates 
that  are  well  matched  and  should  procure  a  flap  of  the 
desired  color.    The  flaps  are  very  cheap. 

Sometimes  I  tear  a  corner  from  the  slip  of  paper 
containing  the  message.  When  I  do  this  I  conceal  it 
between  the  ends  of  my  fingers;  and  when  the  subject 
gives  me  his  selected  sheet  of  paper,  I  tear  a  similar 
corner  from  it.  I  apparently  hand  this  last  corner  to 
the  subject  with  the  request  that  he  retain  it.  Of 
course,  I  give  him  the  corner  which  was  torn  from  the 
message  slip  instead  and  conceal  the  last  corner  torn 
off  in  its  place. 

After  the  message  is  produced  and  read,  I  remind 
the  subject  to  see  if  this  corner  fits  his  slip  of  paper. 
Worked  as  a  conjuring  trick,  this  last  effect  adds  some 
improvement  to  the  trick;  but  I  am  not  sure  that  it 
adds  to  the  effect  if  given  as  a  genuine  phenomenon ; 
for  tearing  off  the  corner  reminds  one  of  conjuring 
tricks,  and  thus  suggests  the  idea  of  trickery. 

However,  I  generally  tear  off  this  small  corner  so  that 
on  one  side  of  it,  there  is  a  portion  of  one  of  the  words 


156         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

of  the  message.  In  this  case,  instead  of  giving  this 
corner  to  the  subject  to  hold,  I  lay  it  on  the  table, 
writing  side  down,  and  request  him  to  place  his  finger 
on  it.  Finding  a  part  of  one  of  the  words  on  this 
corner  gives  the  idea  that  this  writing  was  done  while 
he  held  it.    This  adds  more  mystery  to  the  effect. 

XI 

The  trick  described  here  is  most  suitable  for  plat- 
form production.  The  performer  takes  a  single  slate  in 
his  hand  and  a  piece  of  chalk  in  the  other  hand.  He 
exhibits  one  side  of  the  slate  to  the  audience,  saying, 
"Side  one."  As  he  does  this  he  makes  a  large  figure 
"one"  on  that  side  of  the  slate.  He  then  turns  the 
slate,  and  saying,  "Side  two,"  makes  a  large  figure 
"two"  on  that  side  of  the  slate.  He  next  steps  to  a 
chair  or  table,  and  taking  a  damp  cloth,  washes  off 
first  one  side  and  then  the  other.  He  immediately  sets 
the  slate  in  full  view  of  the  spectators  in  a  vertical 
position,  so  that  one  side  faces  the  spectators  and  the 
other  side  is  of  course  hidden  from  view.  He  leans 
it  against  any  object  that  may  be  convenient,  usually 
against  a  chair  or  table  leg  with  one  edge  resting  on 
the  floor.  In  a  short  time  he  lifts  the  slate,  exhibiting 
the  rear  surface  on  which  is  written  a  message  in  chalk 
writing. 

The  secret  of  this  trick  is  again  a  slate  flap.  The 
message  is  prepared  and  the  flap  in  place.  The  per- 
former grasps  the  slate  so  as  to  hold  the  flap  in  posi- 
tion, and  exhibits  and  marks  the  two  sides  of  the  slate. 
He  now  steps  to  a  table  or  chair  to  get  a  piece  of  damp 
cloth ;  and  as  he  washes  "side  one"  of  the  slate,  he  rests 
the  lower  edge  of  the  slate  on  the  table  or  chair.  As  he 
does  this  he  tilts  the  slate  backwards  slightly.    He  next 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         1 5/ 

turns  the  slate  so  that  "side  two"  faces  the  audience ; 
and  as  he  washes  this  side,  he  releases  his  hold  on  the 
flap  on  the  rear  of  the  slate,  and  allows  it  to  drop  on 
the  table  or  chair. 

If  a  chair  be  used,  a  newspaper  is  in  place  spread  out 
on  its  seat;  and  a  piece  of  newspaper  is  also  pasted 
on  what  will  be  the  upper  side  of  the  flap  after  it  be 
dropped  on  the  newspaper.  If  instead  of  a  chair  a 
table  be  used,  and  if  it  have  a  dark  or  slate  colored 
cover,  no  newspaper  need  be  used  on  either  the  table 
or  flap.  However,  the  newspaper  can  be  used  when 
using  a  table  if  the  performer  so  desire,  or  the  slate 
can  first  be  cleaned  and  then  taken  to  the  paper  to  be 
wrapped  up.  In  this  case,  the  performer  merely  places 
the  slate  on  the  newspaper,  flap  side  down,  remarking 
that  he  will  wrap  it  up ;  then  as  if  suddenly  changing 
his  mind,  he  remarks,  "No,  I  will  stand  it  here  where 
you  can  all  watch  it,  instead."  He  then  places  the  slate 
in  the  vertical  position  before  described ;  but  of  course 
uses  care  not  to  expose  the  rear  side  of  the  slate  con- 
taining the  message. 

Some  performers  prefer  to  have  the  table  top  cov- 
ered with  velvet  or  felt,  and  a  piece  of  the  same  mate- 
rial glued  on  what  will  be  the  upper  surface  of  the  flap 
after  it  is  dropped  on  the  table. 

This  trick  makes  an  excellent  conjuring  trick,  if  a 
single  word  in  a  book  be  chosen  and  then  made  to 
appear  on  the  slate  in  chalk  writing.  In  this  case  I  first 
prepare  the  slate,  and  after  thoroughly  washing  both 
sides,  place  it  on  the  platform  as  I  have  described. 

I  now  take  two  books  not  alike,  and  descend  to  the 
audience,  giving  one  of  them  to  some  spectator  to 
hold.  Next  I  give  a  card  to  a  second  spectator  and 
ask  him  to  insert  it  in  the  end  of  the  remaining  book 


158         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

which  I  still  hold.  I  ask  him  to  let  it  protrude  from 
between  the  leaves  about  a  half  inch.  I  tell  him  to 
place  it  between  any  of  the  leaves  he  may  desire. 
When  he  has  done  so  I  step  to  another  spectator  and 
request  him  to  open  the  book  at  the  position  occupied 
by  the  card,  and  to  call  aloud  the  page  that  it  marks. 
I  step  to  this  third  spectator,  a  slight  distance  away, 
and  before  I  reach  him  I  ask  him  if  he  will  assist  me. 
As  I  ask  this  I  start  towards  him.  All  eyes  are  turned 
towards  him  as  I  direct  my  attention  to  him,  and  of 
course  at  this  instant  I  turn  the  book  in  my  hands  end 
for  end.  In  the  other  end  of  the  book  a  duplicate  card 
has  previously  been  placed  at  the  page  I  desire ;  and  as 
I  approach  him,  my  fingers  secretly  press  the  second 
spectator's  card  entirely  into  the  book.  The  third  spec- 
tator, of  course,  opens  the  book  at  the  position  marked 
by  the  duplicate  card. 

As  soon  as  he  reads  aloud  the  number  of  the  selected 
page  on  his  right  (which  I  request  him  to  do)  I  ask 
the  spectator  holding  the  other  book  to  open  it  at  the 
page  chosen,  and  to  read  aloud  the  bottom  word,  which 
is  of  course  the  word  prepared  on  the  rear  of  the  slate. 
If  the  performer  can  procure  a  book  which  somewhere 
within  it  has  two  consecutive  pages  on  which  the  bot- 
tom words  are  the  same,  he  can  have  some  spectator 
choose  whether  the  page  selected  shall  be  the  right 
one  or  the  left  one.  This  choice  should  be  made  be- 
fore the  book  containing  the  cards  is  opened. 

If  such  a  book  can  not  be  procured,  then  the  ope- 
rator can  simply  ask  the  spectator  opening  the  first 
book  to  read  aloud  the  page  number  on  his  right.  He 
should  then  turn  to  the  person  holding  the  second  book 
and  request  him  to  turn  to  that  page  and  read  aloud  the 
bottom  word.    As  soon  as  the  word  is  read  aloud,  the 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         1 59 

performer  takes  both  books,  runs  to  the  stage,  and 
turning  over  the  slate  exhibits  the  word.  The  slate  is 
passed  down  for  inspection. 

*  *  * 
Another  method  can  be  used  for  forcing  the  choice 
of,  say,  the  right  page,  of  the  two  pages  where  the  du- 
plicate card  is  located.  When  the  third  spectator  opens 
the  book  at  the  card,  the  performer  turns  to  another 
spectator  and  asks,  "Which  page  will  you  take,  the 
right  or  left?"  If  the  spectator  choose  the  right  page, 
the  performer  directs  the  person  holding  the  book  to 
read  aloud  this  page  number.  If,  however,  the  person 
should  take  the  left  page,  the  performer  then  remarks 
in  a  natural  manner  to  the  person  holding  the  book, 
"He  chooses  the  left,  so  you  will  have  to  choose  the 
right."  This  seems  perfectly  natural  to  the  audience, 
and  the  person  holding  the  book  is  then  directed  to 
read  aloud  the  number  of  "his  page." 

If  the  operator  prefer,  he  can,  when  the  spectator 
first  opens  the  book,  stand  directly  in  front  of  him  and 
grasp  the  two  sides  of  the  book  with  his  two  hands. 
He  can  then  ask,  "Which  shall  I  take,  the  right  or  left 
page?"  If  some  one  replies,  "The  right,"  the  operator 
asks  the  person  holding  the  book  to  read  aloud  the 
number  of  the  page  on  his  right ;  but  if  the  left  be 
chosen,  the  operator  says,  "Read  aloud  the  page  num- 
ber on  my  left."  In  either  case  the  page  is  the  same. 
If  when  asking  the  question,  "Which  shall  I  take,  the 
right  or  left  page?"  the  operator  emphasize  the  word 
"right"  slightly,  and  then  pause  a  mere  instant  before 
rapidly  continuing  the  question,  the  "right"  will  almost 
invariably  be  chosen. 

I  consider  this  slate  trick  as  the  best  one  for  stage 
work  that  I  have  seen.     It  is  very  simple,  and  the 


l6o        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

simplest  tricks  are  always  the  best  and  most  difficult 
of  detection.  After  the  message  is  produced  and  the 
slate  sent  out  for  inspection,  the  operator  piles  some 
unused  articles  on  the  discarded  flap  and  removes  all 
together. 

One  operator,  when  performing  this  trick  in  a  par- 
lor, previously  takes  from  the  shelves  of  the  library 
some  new  book  that  has  never  been  opened,  and  of  the 
style  that  opens  rather  stiffly.  He  selects  the  page  he 
desires,  and  proceeds  to  open  the  book  up  widely  at 
this  page.  After  this,  the  book  will  naturally  open  at 
this  place.  He  is  careful  not  to  open  it  widely  else- 
where. 

He  now  selects  two  playing  cards  from  duplicate 
packs,  the  cards  being  duplicates  of  each  other,  and 
places  one  secretly  in  this  book  where  it  has  been 
opened.  When  ready  to  perform,  he  takes  one  of  the 
packs  of  cards,  and  takes  a  card  from  it  apparently 
at  random.  This  card  is  really  the  duplicate  of  the 
one  in  the  book.  The  performer  gives  this  card  to  a 
spectator,  and  asks  him  to  push  it  into  the  book  be- 
tween the  leaves  at  any  position  he  may  select,  pushing 
it  entirely  out  of  sight.  This  is  done.  Now  without 
any  change  whatever  the  performer  presents  this  book 
to  a  second  spectator  to  open  at  the  card  and  call  out 
the  page.  As  he  does  this  the  book  naturally  falls  open 
at  the  place  where  the  first  card  was  concealed,  and 
where  the  glue  used  in  binding  the  book  has  been 
broken.  The  card  being  there,  and  being  apparently 
a  mere  playing  card  selected  at  random  from  a  pack, 
lends  a  color  of  genuineness  to  the  performance. 

Another  operator,  Vv^hen  performing  this  slate  tricky 
causes  the  sum  of  a  number  of  figures  to  appear  on 
the  slate  instead  of  a  word  or  message.     He  accora- 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         l6l 

plishes  this  as  follows:  He  writes  a  horizontal  row 
of  three  figures  on  the  front  fly  leaf  of  some  book. 
Under  this  row  of  three  figures  he  writes  in  different 
hands,  two  or  three  other  rows  and  draws  a  line  below 
them  as  if  ready  to  add  them  up. 

When  performing,  he  takes  this  book ;  and  opening 
it  at  the  back  fly  leaf,  he  requests  a  spectator  to  write 
a  horizontal  row  of  three  figures,  each  figure  to  be  his 
own  choice.  When  this  is  done  he  takes  the  book, 
and  in  the  same  manner  has  another  spectator  write 
three  figures  under  these.  He  continues  this  until 
there  are  as  many  horizontal  rows  of  figures  as  he 
has  prepared  on  the  frojit  fly  leaf. 

He  now  requests  the  last  writer  to  draw  a  line  under 
all  of  the  figures ;  and  then,  taking  the  book,  he  passes 
it  to  still  another  spectator,  with  a  request  that  he  add 
the  figures  carefully  and  announce  their  sum  verbally. 
Of  course,  when  he  gives  this  book  to  the  last  spec- 
tator he  opens  it  at  the  front  fly  leaf,  (having  pre- 
viously allowed  the  book  to  close),  and  the  last  spec- 
tator adds  up  the  figures  written  by  the  operator  and 
whose  sum  is  on  the  prepared  slate. 

Some  performers  produce  this  same  result  by  having 
the  spectators  write  on  a  card,  and  then  exchanging  the 
card  ;  but  the  method  with  the  book  is  the  better,  as  it  is 
perfectly  evident  that  the  book  is  not  exchanged.  This 
adds  to  the  after  eft'ect  of  the  trick. 
*     *     * 

T  am  acquainted  with  a  performer  who  uses  two 
slates  instead  of  one  when  performing  this  trick.  He 
first  cleans  the  unprepared  slate  on  both  sides,  showing 
the  spectators  that  both  sides  are  clean.  He  then  gives 
this  slate  to  a  spectator  to  hold.  He  next  cleans  the 
slate  containing  the  flap,  resting  one  edge  on  a  news- 


l62        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

paper  spread  on  a  table  while  he  washes  each  side. 
Of  course,  he  allows  the  flap  to  drop  onto  the  paper 
from  behind  the  slate  while  cleaning  the  second  side 
of  the  slate.  Having  newspaper  pasted  on  one  side 
of  the  flap  as  before  stated,  it  can  not  be  seen  when  on 
the  paper. 

He  immediately  advances  to  the  spectator  who  holds 
the  first  slate,  and  says,  "I  will  tie  them  together." 
As  he  does  this  he  carries  the  slate  with  the  message 
writing  side  down,  so  that  no  one  can  see  it;  and 
quickly  placing  this  slate  on  top  of  the  other  one,  he 
ties  the  two  together  and  leaves  them  in  the  possession 
of  the  spectator  to  be  held. 

I  know  of  another  performer  who  uses  three  slates 
in  this  trick  and  gets  an  answer  to  a  question  which 
some  one  asks  aloud.  Certain  words  in  the  answer  are 
written  in  colors  such  as  the  spectator  may  choose. 
His  assistant  behind  the  scenes  has  the  third  slate  with 
the  flap ;  and  when  the  operator  gets  some  spectator  to 
ask  the  question,  the  assistant  immediately  writes  the 
answer  and  lays  the  flap  over  it.  The  operator  at  the 
time  asks  some  spectator  to  designate  which  words  in 
the  answer  shall  be  in  certain  colors,  and  if  the  fifth, 
seventh,  etc.,  be  chosen,  the  assistant  writes  these 
words  with  colored  crayons. 

The  assistant  now,  after  laying  the  flap  over  the 
message,  places  the  slate  between  the  leaves  of  a  news- 
paper, flap  side  up.  This  paper  he  quietly  lays  upon  a 
table  on  the  stage  unobserved.  While  this  is  being 
done,  the  performer  has  taken  the  two  unprepared 
slates  down  to  the  spectators  and  had  them  thoroughly 
examined.  This  has  taken  the  attention  of  the  spec- 
tators so  that  no  one  has  observed  the  assistant  enter 
and  leave  the  stage. 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND   BILLET  TESTS.         163 

The  operator  now  returns  to  the  stage ;  and  stepping 
to  this  table,  he  lays  one  slate  on  the  table  behind  the 
paper  and  starts  to  place  the  edge  of  his  other  slate 
on  the  front  part  of  the  table  while  he  numbers  and 
cleans  the  sides.  The  newspaper  appears  to  be  in  his 
way;  so  with  his  left  hand  he  draws  it  backwards  on 
the  table  over  the  first  slate  laid  down ;  and  then,  rest- 
ing the  other  slate  on  the  table,  numbers  its  two  sides 
with  a  piece  of  chalk.  He  now  cleans  both  sides  thor- 
oughly and  stands  this  slate  edgewise  on  the  floor 
against  a  chair.  He  next  apparently  draws  from  under 
the  newspaper  on  the  table  the  other  slate.  In  reality, 
he  draws  out  the  prepared  slate  with  the  flap  in  posi- 
tion from  between  the  leaves  of  the  newspaper. 

He  now  numbers  both  sides  of  this  slate,  standing 
it  edgewise  on  the  newspaper  and  showing  each  side 
as  he  does  so.  He  next  cleans  the  flap  side  thoroughly, 
and  then  turns  the  slate  to  clean  the  other  side,  and 
while  so  doing  allows  the  flap  to  fall  from  behind  the 
slate  upon  the  newspaper. 

As  soon  as  the  second  or  unprepared  side  is  clean, 
the  operator  places  this  slate  in  front  of  the  one  on  the 
floor  and  lifts  both  together,  ties  them  securely,  and 
passes  them  to  the  audience  to  be  held  for  a  time.  In 
due  time  the  spectators  untie  them,  finding  the  message 
answering  the  spoken  question.  The  designated  words 
are  in  the  chosen  colors  which  makes  the  effect  very 
great. 

The  credit  for  the  invention  of  this  last  method  be- 
longs to  a  magician,  Mr.  Edward  Benedict  of  Min- 
neapolis, Minnesota. 


164        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 


xn. 

I  will  here  describe  a  few  methods  of  obtaining  a 
name  or  a  question  which  is  written  by  a  sitter,  and 
where  the  sitter  usually  retains  the  writing  in  his  own 
possession.  The  first  that  I  will  describe  is  the  most 
improved  method  known  at  present,  and  is  almost  uni- 
versally used  by  the  professional  mediums  traveling 
over  the  country. 

The  idea  is  to  get  an  impression  of  the  writing  that 
is  not  a  carbon  impression.  The  impression  is,  in  fact, 
invisible  until  after  it  is  "developed."  The  paper  used 
is  a  thin,  highly  glazed  paper.  A  tablet  of  this  paper 
is  provided  for  the  subject  to  write  upon.  He  can 
make  an  inspection  of  the  tablet  if  he  so  desire,  and 
he  will  find  nothing.  The  operator  first  prepares  a 
few  sheets  of  the  paper  by  rubbing  over  one  side  of 
them  with  wax.  Some  mediums  use  paraffin  wax, 
which  has  been  melted  and  mixed  with  a  small  amount 
of  vaseline.  If  this  wax  be  used,  it  must  be  kneaded 
with  the  hands  while  cooling  and  afterwards  pressed 
into  cakes.  I  prefer  to  use  "spermaceti"  wax.  The 
wax  being  white,  can  not  be  seen  on  the  paper  after 
the  same  has  been  coated  with  it. 

The  sheet  must  be  laid  on  a  flat,  smooth  surface 
and  thoroughly  rubbed  over  with  the  wax.  This  pre- 
pared sheet  is  generally  placed  in  the  tablet  two  or 
three  sheets  below  the  top,  coated  side  down.  It  should 
be  held  in  place  with  library  paste ;  and  another  pre- 
pared sheet  should  be  similarly  placed  a  little  further 
down,  to  be  used  in  case  emergency  demands  it. 

When  the  writing  is  done,  an  invisible  impression 
of  it  is  transferred  from  the  waxed  surface  of  the 
prepared  sheet,  to  the  sheet  next  under  it.    Of  course 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         165 

this  can  not  be  seen  until  developed,  as  the  wax  is  very 
thin  and  is  the  color  of  the  paper.  After  the  subject 
writes  his  questions,  and  removes  the  sheet  bearing 
them,  the  operator  secures  this  tablet  by  almost  any 
secret  means ;  and  then  he  secretly  removes  the  sheet 
bearing  the  impression  and  develops  it.  This  is  most 
generally  done  by  throwing  on  the  sheet  some  pow- 
dered charcoal,  and  shaking  the  sheet  around  until 
the  powder  adheres  to  the  wax,  after  which  the  sur- 
plus powder  is  dusted  off.  The  writing  appears  plainly 
and  may  be  easily  read.  Some  performers  use  plum- 
bago, lampblack,  or  coal  dust  instead  of  charcoal. 
Many  different  powders  may  be  used.  The  magician 
Mr.  Edward  Benedict  merely  holds  the  wax  impression 
over  a  lighted  gas  jet  moving  it  about.  The  flame 
blackens  the  wax  portion  which  melts  and  dampens 
the  paper  where  it  adheres.  If  a  little  camphor  be 
held  in  the  flame  it  will  blacken  the  impression  more 
completely. 

When  this  trick  is  used  at  private  readings  in  apart- 
ments, the  operator  after  the  writing  usually  leads  the 
sitter  into  the  next  room  for  a  reading.  Meanwhile  an 
assistant  secretly  secures  the  tablet  and  leaves  another 
in  its  place  that  is  unprepared.  Generally  the  door  be- 
tween the  two  rooms  is  left  open ;  and  it  is  only  neces- 
sary for  the  operator  to  engage  the  sitter  for  a  moment, 
to  give  opportunity  to  the  assistant  to  make  the  ex- 
change, which  can  be  made  in  many  different  ways. 
After  the  assistant  has  time  to  develop  the  writing,  the 
operator  leaves  the  room  for  a  moment  on  some  trifling 
errand  and  of  course  secures  the  information  while  out 
of  the  room. 

Sometimes  the  operator  produces  a  slate  message 
for  the  subject;  and  then  while  the  subject  is  inspect- 


l66        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

ing  it  secretly  exchanges  tablets  from  a  large  pocket 
in  his  coat.  When  this  method  is  used,  the  operator 
generally  pretends  to  hear  some  one  at  his  outside 
door;  and  as  his  servant  fails  to  respond,  he  excuses 
himself  for  a  moment,  and  taking  advantage  of  his  ab- 
sence, develops  and  reads  the  writing. 
*     *     * 

I  am  indebted  to  an  accomplished  magician,  Mr. 
Gabriel  Rasgorshek,  for  the  secret  of  an  excellent 
means  of  working  this  trick.  It  is  being  successfully 
worked  by  an  expert  medium  at  the  present  time,  and 
Mr.  Rasgorshek  is  thoroughly  informed  as  to  the 
means  employed. 

The  medium  gives  his  readings  in  a  large  store 
room.  He  curtains  off  the  room  into  three  apartments, 
making  a  large  reception  room  in  front,  a  middle  or 
waiting  room,  and  a  third  room  in  the  rear  where  is 
concealed  an  assistant  unknown  to  all  callers.  He  uses 
a  twelve-foot  cabinet  in  the  center  of  the  rear  of  the 
middle  room,  directly  against  the  rear  cross  curtain. 
The  cabinet  is  merely  formed  of  curtains,  and  is  di- 
vided into  two  compartments  by  a  curtain  partition. 

In  one  of  the  compartments  of  the  cabinet  is  a  table, 
a  prepared  tablet  and  pencils.  This  is  the  room  into 
which  each  sitter  is  invited  by  an  attendant,  to  write 
out  and  prepare  his  questions,  signing  his  name  to 
them.  In  the  large  middle  or  waiting  room  near  the 
walls  are  seats  for  callers,  and  one  caller  at  a  time  is 
invited  to  enter  the  solitary  room  in  the  cabinet  and 
prepare  his  questions.  The  other  room  in  the  cabinet 
has  a  table  near  the  back  curtain,  with  a  chair  on  each 
side  of  it.  In  this  latter  room,  on  one  side  of  the  table 
the  medium  is  seated,  giving  the  readings,  slate  writ- 
ings, etc. 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         167 

The  concealed  assistant  in  the  rear  of  the  apartments 
secretly  reaches  through  the  cabinet  curtain  into  the 
room  where  the  tablet  has  just  been  used,  and  removes 
it,  leaving  another  prepared  tablet  in  its  place  for  the 
next  subject.  He  now  develops  and  reads  the  ques- 
tions, names,  etc. ;  copies  them  neatly  on  a  small  card 
and  also  adds  to  them  information  secured  from  the 
city  directory;  then  placing  the  card  containing  the 
copy  in  a  cleft  in  the  end  of  a  stick,  pushes  it  through 
a  small  slit  in  the  back  curtain  of  the  other  room  in  the 
cabinet.  This  slit  is  located  so  that  the  stick  enters 
the  cabinet  just  by  the  medium's  hand  behind  the 
table.  The  subject  is  by  this  time  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  table  receiving  his  reading,  and  the  medium 
secretly  reads  the  information.  The  medium  has  a 
strong  electric  light  back  of  him  which  makes  this 
quite  easy.  The  man  in  the  rear  apartment  must  be 
as  expert  as  the  medium,  and  he  can  by  a  careful 
search  of  the  directory,  and  by  a  reference  to  notes 
of  other  readings  given  to  other  callers,  frequently 
push  much  information  into  the  view  of  the  medium. 
Meanwhile  another  subject  has  been  invited  into  the 
other  room  in  the  cabinet  to  prepare  his  questions. 

There  is  also  a  small  cloth  tube  on  the  side  of  the 
table  next  the  medium's  hand.  This  tube  runs  through 
the  rear  curtain.  In  case  some  one  has  become  unduly 
excited  over  a  reading,  and  has  prepared  questions  at 
home  and  returned  for  a  second  reading,  the  medium 
takes  them  in  his  hand  for  a  moment,  fingering  them. 
He  keeps  on  hand  a  number  of  folded  billets  of  differ- 
ent styles;  so  that  when  he  sees  the  ones  the  subject 
has,  he  can  secretly  secure  duplicates  in  his  palm. 
When  he  fingers  the  subject's  billets,  he  adroitly  ex- 
changes them  for  his  own,  and  apparently  places  the 


l68        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

subject's  billets  in  a  book  on  the  table.  In  reality  he 
places  the  substitutes  in  the  book,  "palming"  the  or- 
iginals, which  he  sends  through  the  cloth  tube  to  the 
assistant.  Very  soon  they  are  returned  to  the  hand 
of  the  medium  under  the  table.  He  now  takes  the 
billets  from  the  book,  apparently  returning  them  to  the 
sitter,  but  really  again  substituting,  so  that  the  originals 
are  returned  to  the  sitter.  He  conceals  the  duplicates ; 
and  by  this  time  the  information  begins  to  come  into 
his  view  beneath  the  table,  and  the  reading  becomes 
very  effective. 

There  is  a  means  of  developing  the  wax  impression 
that  I  consider  superior  to  the  methods  given  above; 
but  I  am  restrained  from  making  it  public  by  a  prom- 
ise of  secrecy  to  the  dealer  from  whom  I  purchased 
the  secret.  It  can  be  obtained  of  George  L.  Williams 
&  Co.,  7145  Champlain  Avenue,  Chicago,  111.  The 
method  given  here,  however,  works  very  well,  and  is 
the  one  generally  used  by  most  mediums ;  this  secret 
has  become  common  property  among  mediums  and  has 
even  been  published  before.  In  the  chapter  entitled, 
''Performances  of  the  Annie  Eva  Fay  Type,"  I  will 
give  some  further  information  in  regard  to  developing 
these  impressions  and  the  methods  of  using  the  same. 
This  will  be  of  considerable  value  to  the  performer. 

A  magician,  Mr.  C.  S.  Weller  of  Mitchell,  South 
Dakota,  has  experimented  considerably  with  different 
methods  of  preparing  impression  paper  and  developing 
the  impressions.  He  sometimes  prepares  the  sheets 
with  common  cocoa  butter,  and  sometimes  he  saturates 
the  paper  with  a  forty  per  cent,  solution  of  cream  and 
water,  afterwards  stretching  the  sheets  in  frames  until 
dry.  These  can  be  used  on  a  marble-top  table,  the 
bottom  of  a  porcelain  dish,  or  a  marble  slab.     In  this 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         169 

case  he  dusts  ultramarine  blue  on  the  object  bearing 
the  impression  and  then  blows  it  lightly,  so  that  all  of 
the  powder  is  blown  off  except  that  which  adheres  to 
the  impression.  Any  of  the  colored  powders  may  be 
used.  Some  performers  place  a  prepared  sheet  on  a 
glass  plate  and  another  sheet  over  this  for  the  subject 
to  write  on.  In  this  case  the  impression  is  transferred 
to  the  glass  plate. 


I  am  acquainted  with  a  lady  medium,  who,  when 
she  gives  private  readings,  answers  some  questions  for 
each  of  the  sitters,  which  they  have  written  and  re- 
tained, giving  them  their  correct  names,  etc.  The 
method  she  uses  is  very  simple,  yet  she  assures  me 
that  it  works  most  successfully. 

This  medium  is  working  in  connection  with  a  lady 
"Palmist"  who  always  receives  the  visitors  in  the  wait- 
ing room.  When  the  visitor  arrives,  this  lady  has  a 
book  in  her  hands,  which  she  has  apparently  just  been 
reading.  There  is  no  furniture  in  the  room  except 
some  chairs.  The  lady  seats  the  visitor;  and  in  case 
this  person  does  not  desire  a  "Palm  Reading,"  she 
says,  "Madam  B —  is  not  quite  ready  to  receive  vis- 
itors just  now ;  you  will  have  to  wait  a  few  minutes." 
She  then  continues,  "While  you  are  waiting,  just  write 
down  the  questions  you  wish  to  ask,"  and  she  gives 
the  visitor  a  sheet  of  paper  and  a  pencil ;  and  as  there 
is  no  table  upon  which  to  write,  she  also  gives  this 
person  the  book  which  is  still  in  her  hand. 

She  places  the  sheet  of  paper  on  the  back  of  the 
book  and  says,  "Write  the  questions  you  desire  an- 
swered on  that  sheet  of  paper  and  keep  it.  Madam 
B —  prefers  to  have  you  write  them  down  so  you  will 


170        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

not  forget  them.    Sign  your  name  to  them  and  address 
them  to  some  spirit  near  to  you." 

The  subject  does  as  requested,  and  the  lady  again 
tells  her  to  "just  keep  her  questions."  She  now  re- 
lieves the  visitor  of  the  book.  She  waits  and  con- 
verses for  a  while,  and  then  says,  ''I  do  not  see  why 
Madam  B —  does  not  come.  I  will  go  and  see  if  she 
is  ready."  She  retires  to  the  other  rooms,  and  inci- 
dentally takes  her  book  with  her.  She  quickly  returns 
with  a  duplicate  book  in  her  hands  which  the  visitor 
thinks  is  the  original,  and  says,  "Madam  B —  is  nearly 
ready,  and  she  will  be  out  in  a  few  moments."  She 
converses  with  the  visitor  until  the  medium  comes  in 
and  proceeds  to  give  the  reading,  which  fully  answers 
the  questions. 

The  first  book  was  a  new  one  and  had  a  paper  cover 
on  the  backs.  Under  this  cover,  on  each  back,  was 
a  carbon  sheet,  with  a  sheet  of  white  paper  under  it. 
When  the  lady  went  to  see  if  the  medium  were  ready, 
she  left  this  book  with  the  medium,  returning  quickly 
with  the  duplicate.  The  medium  read  the  impression 
and  committed  all  to  memory  before  entering. 

There  are  many  methods  of  secretly  securing  an 
impression  of  the  writing  of  a  sitter.  Sometimes, 
where  no  table  is  handy,  the  subject  is  given  an  ordin- 
ary "clip  board,"  such  as  stationers  furnish  for  clamp- 
ing bill-heads  and  blank  papers.  This  consists  of  stiff 
pasteboard  and  a  spring  clip  or  clamp.  A  sheet  of 
blank  paper  is  in  position  held  by  the  clip ;  and  the 
Vv^riting  is  transferred  from  a  sheet  of  copying  carbon 
concealed  under  the  mottled  paper  covering  the  inside 
of  the  "clip  board,"  to  a  sheet  of  white  paper  between  it 
and  the  board.  The  "clip  board"  is  then  taken  secretly 
by  an  assistant,  or  sometimes  by  the  medium  who  ex- 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I7I 

cuses  himself  for  a  moment  on  some  pretense,  after 
adroitly  exchanging  a  concealed  "clip  board"  for  the 
prepared  one  which  he  also  conceals.  A  sharp  knife 
IS  then  run  under  the  edge  of  the  mottled  paper  of  the 
board  separating  it  therefrom.  The  carbon  is  removed 
and  the  impression  read.  After  this  a  new  blank  sheet 
is  put  on  the  board,  the  carbon  replaced,  all  is  neatly 
covered  by  mottled  paper  which  is  pasted  in  position, 
and  the  "clip  board"  is  again  ready  for  a  sitter. 
*     *     * 

The  most  common  method  and  the  one  most  gen- 
erally used  is  a  bold  "switch"  of  the  paper  before  the 
eyes  of  the  sitter,  when  the  operator  takes  it  to  press 
it  against  his  forehead.  When  this  method  is  used, 
the  medium  and  subject  sit  at  opposite  sides  of  a  table. 
The  writing  is  done  on  a  small  card,  which  is  then 
folded  two  times  by  the  subject.  The  medium  reaches 
and  takes  it  in  this  condition,  and  presses  it  against  his 
forehead ;  then  returns  it  to  the  subject  to  press  against 
his  own  forehead  for  a  time.  The  operator  again  takes 
it,  and  pressing  it  to  his  own  forehead,  gives  the  read- 
ing. 

In  this  method  the  operator  has  concealed  in  his  left 
palm  a  duplicate  card  folded  similarly ;  and  when  he 
takes  the  card  from  the  subject  with  his  right  hand, 
first  places  it  in  his  left  hand  directly  over  the  dupli- 
cate. The  back  of  the  operator's  hand  is  toward  the 
subject  so  that  the  cards  are  concealed  from  his  view. 
Now  with  a  deft  move  of  the  fingers,  he  pushes  for- 
ward the  duplicate  into  view,  withdrawing  the  original, 
then  fingering  it  with  his  right  hand  he  takes  the  dupli- 
cate and  presses  it  to  his  own  forehead.  He  next  hands 
this  duplicate  to  the  subject  to  press  to  his  head ;  and 
meanwhile  with  his  left  hand  below  the  table,  he  se- 


172         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

cretly  opens  and  reads  the  question.  The  card  can  be 
opened  and  folded  silently,  which  is  the  reason  cards 
are  used  instead  of  paper.  The  original  is  now  palmed 
in  the  left  hand,  and  the  former  maneuvers  are  gone 
through  with  again ;  this  time  handing  back  to  the 
subject  his  own  card.    After  this  the  reading  is  given. 

There  is  another  method  of  making  the  ''switch," 
which  is  in  very  general  use.  In  this  case  it  is  made 
with  one  hand  alone.  Soft  paper  is  used  instead  of 
cards  so  that  it  will  fold  into  a  smaller  space.  Proper 
paper  can  be  opened  and  re-folded  silently  if  care  be 
used.  The  slips  are  of  a  uniform  size,  so  that  when 
folded  they  will  always  be  of  the  same  size.  The  sub- 
ject is  instructed  how  to  fold  them  after  he  shall  finish 
his  writing. 

When  the  operator  makes  this  ''switch,"  he  has  a 
duplicate  piece  of  paper  inside  his  right  fingers,  held 
between  the  middle  and  first  finger  near  the  end.  He 
keeps  the  back  of  this  hand  towards  the  subject  so  that 
the  duplicate  can  not  be  seen;  and  when  he  picks  up 
from  the  table  the  paper  that  the  subject  has  written 
upon,  he  deftly  draws  it  from  the  ends  of  his  fingers 
with  his  thumb,  up  into  his  palm  beyond  the  duplicate, 
and  then  with  his  thumb  pushes  the  duplicate  into 
view. 

With  a  little  practice  this  "switch"  can  be  made  in 
an  instant,  and  the  move  will  escape  the  subject  en- 
tirely. If,  at  the  moment  the  operator  picks  up  the 
paper,  he  addresses  the  subject,  the  latter  will  invar- 
iably glance  into  his  face  for  an  instant;  just  at  this 
moment-  the  right  hand  deftly  makes  the  "shift"  and 
instantly  brings  the  duplicate  into  the  view  of  the  sub- 
ject in  a  perfectly  natural  manner,  which  seems  en- 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I73 

tirely  honest  in  appearance.     He  then  proceeds  with 
whatever  method  he  may  prefer  in  finishing  the  trick. 

I  will  next  describe  two  tricks  depending  entirely 
on  this  "switch."  They  are  used  very  extensively  by 
the  professional  mediums  of  this  day  in  the  larger 
cities.  The  second  one  I  will  describe  is  used  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  most  celebrated  mediums  of  Chicago,  such  as 
advertise  with  flaming  head-lines  in  the  daily  papers. 

In  the  simplest  form  the  operator  seats  the  subject 
at  a  large  table,  facing  it,  and  near  the  right  corner 
of  one  of  its  sides.  There  is  nothing  on  the  table  but 
a  few  slips  of  paper,  a  Bible,  and  a  bell.  The  subject 
is  instructed  to  write  his  questions,  fold  his  paper 
and  lay  the  same  on  the  table,  and  then  to  tap  the  bell 
when  ready. 

On  hearing  the  bell  the  medium  enters,  steps  to  the 
table  and  picks  up  the  billet,  at  the  same  instant  asking 
the  subject  if  this  paper  contains  his  questions,  name, 
etc.  At  this  instant,  while  the  subject  glances  at  the 
medium's  eyes,  the  ''shift"  is  made ;  and  the  operator, 
instantly,  opens  the  Bible  with  his  left  hand,  and  with 
his  right  apparently  inserts  the  billet  between  the 
leaves,  closing  the  book.  He,  of  course,  inserts  the 
duplicate  billet,  retaining  the  original  in  his  right 
palm.  He  now  steps  to  the  left  side  of  the  subject, 
who  remains  seated  at  the  table.  He  faces  from  the 
table  so  that  his  left  side  is  next  to  the  left  side  of  the 
subject,  and  he  instructs  the  latter  to  place  his  hands 
on  the  Bible.  Then  the  medium  places  his  left  palm 
on  the  subject's  head  to  "establish  conditions" ;  and  as 
he  does  so  he  places  it  rather  on  the  side  of  the  head 
nearest  himself,  and  so  that  his  palm  and  wrist  are 
opposite  the  left  eye  of  the  subject.     This  prevents 


174        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

the  subject  from  turning  his  face  towards  the  medium, 
or  seeing  what  he  is  secretly  doing. 

The  reader  must  form  a  good  mental  picture  of  their 
positions  if  he  desire  to  realize  the  possibilities  of  this 
trick.  The  medium  has  his  back  to  the  table  and  his 
left  side  to  the  left  of  the  subject,  zvho  faces  the  table. 
They  are  thus  facing  in  opposite  directions ;  and  while 
the  medium  now  describes  his  impressions  to  the  sub- 
ject he  secretly  opens  the  billet  with  his  right  hand  and 
reads  it.  His  right  hand  is  behind  the  range  of  vision 
of  the  subject,  and  is  also  concealed  from  the  view  of 
the  latter  by  the  medium's  person  and  left  hand,  which 
latter  is  pressed  against  the  upper  left  side  of  the  sub- 
ject's head. 

He  now  folds  it  again,  placing  it  in  position  between 
the  ends  of  the  first  and  second  fingers ;  and  turning 
he  opens  the  Bible,  taking  out  the  billet  and  apparently 
presenting  it  to  the  subject.  He  asks  the  subject  to 
hold  it  to  his  own  head ;  and  of  course  he  gives  the 
subject  the  original  billet,  secretly  "palming"  the  sub- 
stitute at  the  same  time. 

Next  he  places  his  hand  on  the  subject's  head,  and 
gives  the  reading,  answering  the  subject's  questions, 
giving  his  name,  etc. 

*     *     * 

In  the  next  trick,  which  is  slightly  more  complicated, 
five  slips  of  paper  are  used.  The  medium  addresses 
the  subject  somewhat  as  follows:  "You  came  here  for 
me  to  help  you.  You  are  in  trouble,  or  worried  about 
something,  else  you  would  not  be  here.  Now  I  desire 
to  help  you  if  I  can.  I  charge  one  dollar,  and  I  answer 
four  questions.  It  is  necessary  for  you  to  ask  these 
questions  if  you  want  me  to  be  certain  to  answer  them. 
If  I  were  to  proceed  of  my  own  accord,  I  might  give 


SPIRIT  SLATE- WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         1 75 

you  something  which  you  would  not  care  for;  there- 
fore I  will  ask  you  to  write  your  questions  on  these 
four  slips  of  paper,  writing  only  on  one  side  of  the 
paper,  and  folding  them  twice  with  the  writing  inside. 
On  the  fifth  slip  write  your  name,  occupation,  and  ad- 
dress. Now  write  questions  which,  if  answered  will 
be  a  benefit  to  you,  something  that  will  do  you  some 
good.  Let  one  be  about  business  matters,  another 
about  love  or  family  matters,  etc.  If  you  desire  results 
that  will  benefit  you,  write  your  questions  openly,  giv- 
ing the  names  of  all  persons  concerned,  in  a  straight- 
forward and  honest  manner.  When  they  are  written, 
folded,  and  all  is  ready,  tap  the  bell."  The  medium 
now  retires  until  he  hears  the  bell. 

The  subject  invariably  complies  with  all  conditions. 
When  the  operator  enters,  he  immediately  takes  the 
billets,  one  at  a  time,  as  they  lie  on  the  table,  and 
crimps  or  folds  them  an  additional  time.  He  does  this 
hurriedly,  as  if  he  desires  them  to  be  very  securely 
folded.  Of  course  he  "switches"  the  last  one,  leaving 
a  "dummy"  in  its  place,  and  secretly  retaining  the  or- 
iginal in  his  right  palm. 

He  now  takes  the  same  position  as  m  the  previous 
trick,  with  his  back  to  the  table,  left  side  to  the  left  side 
of  the  sitter,  hand  on  the  sitter's  head,  etc.  He  then 
asks  the  subject  to  "make  a  wish"  while  he  is  "estab- 
lishing conditions."  While  the  subject  is  thinking  of 
a  wish,  the  medium  secretly  opens  the  billet  with  his 
right  hand,  reading  and  re-folding  it  as  in  the  other 
trick.  He  now  remarks,  "Have  you  made  a  wish?" 
On  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  replies,  "That 
wish  will  not  be  entirely  fulfilled."  He  now  turns, 
and  picking  up  one  of  the  billets,  apparently  hands  it 
to  the  subject,  requesting  him  to  hold  it  to  his  own 


176         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING   AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

head.  Of  course  he  changes  the  billets  again,  hand- 
ing the  subject  the  one  he  has  just  secretly  read,  and 
retaining  in  his  palm  the  new  one.  He  requests  the 
subject  to  hold  it  to  his  own  head  with  one  hand,  and 
to  lay  his  other  hand  on  the  Bible. 

The  medium  now  places  his  palm  on  the  side  of  the 
subject's  head  as  in  the  preceding  trick,  and  with  his 
right  hand  secretly  opens  and  reads  the  second  billet, 
memorizing  it.  As  he  does  this  he  is  verbally  answering 
the  question  on  the  first  billet,  which  the  subject  is  now 
holding  to  his  head.  If  the  first  question  was,  ''Shall  I 
make  a  certain  investment  in  mining  stocks,  etc.,"  the 
medium  says,  ''I  see  you  contemplate  investing  in 
mines,  etc.,  etc.  This  will  not  prove  a  profitable  in- 
vestment ;  you  should  by  no  means  do  this.  I  see 
there  is  another  opportunity  coming  to  you  for  an 
investment,  that  will  be  much  safer,  etc.,  etc.  Now, 
sir,  open  the  question  you  are  holding  to  your  fore- 
head, and  see  if  I  have  answered  it  correctly." 

Aleanwhile  the  medium  has  secretly  read  the  second 
question,  and  the  billet  bearing  it  is  in  position  between 
his  fingers.  He  now  picks  up  another  billet  apparently 
giving  it  to  the  subject  to  hold  as  in  the  first  case.  Of 
course  he  gives  the  subject  the  second  one  which  he 
has  just  secretly  read,  and  retains  in  his  palm  the  new 
one.  While  he  answers  the  second  question,  which 
may  pertain  to  love  or  family  affairs,  he  again  secretly 
reads  the  question  in  his  right  palm. 

After  answering  the  question,  the  subject  is  directed 
to  open  his  billet  and  see  if  it  be  correctly  answered ; 
and  the  medium  turns  and  picks  up  another  one,  ap- 
parently presenting  it  to  him.  This  is  continued  until 
all  of  the  questions  are  answered,  and  the  subject's 
name,  occupation,  etc.,  given. 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         I77 

At  the  last  billet,  which  is  the  "dummy,"  the  medium 
again  makes  the  "shift,"  retaining  the  dummy  and 
giving  the  subject  the  last  genuine  billet.  This  time  he 
leaves  the  side  of  the  subject,  and  answers  the  question 
correctly  without  contact  with  him.  This  trick  is  very 
effective  and  gives  the  greatest  satisfaction  to  the 
medium's  patrons. 

*         *         ^: 

There  are  so  many  methods  of  gaining  knowledge 
of  what  a  sitter  secretly  writes  that  it  is  impossible  to 
give  them  all  here.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  in  any  case 
where  the  subject  is  required  to  write  anything,  that 
there  is  always  a  secret  means  of  gaining  knowledge  of 
the  writing.  In  such  cases  no  information  is  ever 
given  except  such  as  could  be  inferred  from  the  writ- 
ing, or  such  as  can  be  given  by  shrewd  guesswork. 

I  know  one  medium  who  wears  a  skull  cap  when 
giving  a  reading.  It  is  made  of  black  silk ;  and  in  the 
top  of  it,  held  in  place  by  a  lining  of  oil  cloth,  is  a 
sponge  saturated  with  odorless  alcohol.  The  subject 
writes  his  questions  on  a  card  and  seals  it  in  an  enve- 
lope. The  medium  and  spectator  sit  at  opposite  sides 
of  a  table,  and  the  operator  now  takes  the  envelope, 
and  presses  it  on  top  of  his  head  directly  over  the 
hidden  sponge.  The  alcohol  renders  the  envelope 
transparent;  and  after  a  moment  the  medium  brings 
the  envelope  in  front  of  his  eyes,  with  its  upper  edge 
resting  against  his  forehead,  and  there  reads  the  ques- 
tion.   He  is  near-sighted  and  this  is  quite  easy  for  him. 

He  holds  it  in  this  position  while  he  talks  to  the 
subject,  until  the  alcohol  evaporates  and  the  envelope 
assumes  its  natural  appearance.  He  then  gives  the 
reading  and  returns  the  envelope  unopened.  This  is 
a  very  impresssive  trick.    The  use  of  odorless  alcohol 


178        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

for  such  purpose  is  well  known  in  some  quarters,  but 
I  think  this  method  of  using  it  is  not  generally  known 
at  present.  The  envelope  never  leaves  the  sitter's  sight 
and  the  experiment  appears  very  marvelous. 

Other  means  of  securing  information  from  writing 
are  sometimes  adopted,  but  they  are  complicated  and 
in  some  cases  require  a  very  expert  operator.  Dr. 
Schlessinger  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this  volume 
seemed  to  be  able  to  so  manipulate  his  subjects  as  to 
secure  much  information  from  the  writing  in  the 
most  concealed  manner  ever  known.  I  merely  men- 
tion this  that  the  reader  may  be  on  his  guard  in  any 
case  where  the  subject  writes  anything  whatever,  and 
where  the  operator  claims  to  secure  knowledge  of 
such  writing  through  the  assistance  of  spirits  of  the 
dead. 

XIII. 

I  will  here  describe  a  few  slate  tricks  wherein  the 
subject  takes  his  own  slates  (usually  marked)  with 
him.  In  the  first  case  I  am  about  to  describe,  the 
medium  is  supposed  to  be  in  his  own  home  where 
things  can  be  arranged  for  the  business.  The  subject 
comes  with  two  slates  either  tied,  screwed  together, 
or  with  merely  a  single  slate. 

In  this  instance  the  medium  does  not  even  look  at 
the  slates  which  the  sitter  brings.  He  merely  directs  the 
subject  to  lay  the  slates  well  under  a  rather  large  and 
heavy  library  or  center  table.  This  table  has  a  large 
heavy  cover  or  drape.  When  the  subject  does  this 
he  is  directed  to  take  a  seat  at  this  table  and  place 
his  palms  thereon. 

The  medium  usually  stands  and  places  his  palms  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  table,  and  for  a  time  interests 


SPIRIT  SLATE- WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         1 79 

the  subject  in  conversation.  During  this  time  an  as- 
sistant in  a  low  room  under  the  floor  silently  pushes 
up  a  small  and  well-concealed  trap  in  the  floor  and 
carpet.  This  trap  is  directly  under  the  table,  the  carpet 
is  cut  very  neatly  over  the  cuts  in  the  floor,  and  is  left 
tacked  in  position.  He  takes  the  slates  inside  with 
him  leaving  others  of  the  same  appearance  in  their 
place.  As  soon  as  the  message  is  ready  he  again 
changes  the  slates  and  hooks  the  trap  shut  from  under- 
neath so  it  will  be  solid.  As  the  carpet  is  tacked  along 
the  cut,  there  is  no  danger  of  the  sitter  discovering 
anything  of  the  kind,  should  such  an  idea  enter  his 
head. 

There  is  a  variation  of  this  trick  that  is  far  superior 
to  it.  In  this  case  the  medium  takes  the  subject  into 
a  very  light  room,  bare,  of  blinds,  carpet,  and  furniture, 
except  a  curtain  cabinet  across  a  corner ;  a  small  simple 
table  is  in  the  cabinet,  and  two  chairs  are  in  the  room 
near  the  only  door. 

The  walls  and  ceiling  are  papered,  and  the  floor  can 
be  seen  so  easily,  that  any  one  thinking  of  such  an 
idea  could  plainly  see  that  there  are  no  traps  in  it.  It 
can  also  be  seen  that  there  are  none  in  walls  or  base- 
board, which  in  this  room  is  too  narrow  to  admit  a  per- 
son through  any  trap  which  might  be  concealed  in  it. 

The  table  and  cabinet  are  thoroughly  inspected,  and 
then  the  subject  lays  his  own  slates  on  the  table  in  the 
cabinet  and  draws  the  curtains.  He  takes  a  seat  with 
the  medium  near  the  door,  and  after  a  time  goes  into 
the  cabinet  and  examines  his  marked  slates.  They 
are  covered  with  messages  both  inside  and  outside. 

The  effect  of  this  is  simply  beyond  description.  It  is 
accomplished  in  a  very  simple  manner.  The  secret  is 
a  trap  in  the  ceiling  which  is  masked  by  a  heavy  dark 


l8o        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

border  of  the  ceiling  paper.  It  is  hooked  up  solidly  by 
a  strong  hook  opposite  its  hinges,  and  the  curtains  of 
the  cabinet  extend  too  high  for  its  operation  to  be  seen 
from  outside  the  cabinet.  The  ceiling  is  too  high  to 
be  inspected  by  the  subject,  and  in  fact  he  never  thinks 
of  it.  An  assistant  from  the  room  above  opens  the  trap, 
which  is  padded,  and  reaching  down  a  long  rod  with 
a  grip  on  the  end  of  it,  draws  up  the  slates  and  pre- 
pares them. 

It  adds  to  the  effect  if  the  medium  have  a  music 
box  in  the  room,  which  plays  during  the  wait.  This 
also  hides  any  noises.  This  is  the  same  trap  that  a 
noted  medium  of  San  Francisco  has  used  for  mate- 
rializing. He  has  many  assistants  and  much  parapher- 
nalia. The  ''spirits"  descend  and  ascend  on  a  padded 
ladder  which  is  slipped  down  from  above.  The  me- 
dium to  whom  I  refer  is  probably  the  greatest  in  the 
world  at  materializing;  and  his  assistants  are  so  good 
at  "making  up,"  that  any  noted  character  can  be  "ma- 
terialized" in  a  few  moments. 

When  this  trap  is  used  for  slate  writing,  and  if  the 
subject  comes  with  a  single  slate,  it  is  sometimes  placed 
in  a  shallow  box  and  the  box  locked  and  sealed.  The 
box  is  of  wood,  is  about  an  inch  thick  and  just  large 
enough  to  take  in  a  slate.  There  is  a  secret  sliding 
panel  in  the  box  which  can  be  slipped  out  by  the  assist- 
ant to  permit  the  writing.  If  no  panel  is  used  then  a 
slate  pencil  is  inserted  within  the  box  on  the  slate  be- 
fore locking.  The  pencil  is  made  as  follows :  A  round 
piece  of  soft  iron  is  coated  with  powdered  chalk  or  pul- 
verized slate  pencil  mixed  in  a  little  glue.  In  this  case 
the  writing  is  done  by  manipulating  a  powerful  magnet 
on  the  outside  of  the  box.    The  soft  iron  core  of  the 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         l8l 

pencil  is  drawn  by  the  magnet,  making  the  marks  with 
its  outside  coating. 

*         5f:         * 

At  one  time  a  marvelous  medium  appeared  in  a 
neighboring  city,  giving  slate  writings  in  so  mysterious 
a  manner  that  it  caused  considerable  talk  and  discus- 
sion among  the  thinking  men  of  that  community.  A 
certain  reporter  called  for  a  slate  writing  and  was 
greatly  mystified. 

This  reporter  took  his  own  slate  with  him,  which 
he  marked.  The  medium  merely  placed  it  on  the  floor 
in  the  room  where  they  sat,  and  it  never  left  the  sight 
of  the  reporter;  yet  after  a  time  it  was  examined  and 
a  message  found  thereon. 

The  medium  then  stated  to  this  reporter  that  he 
would  forfeit  twenty-five  dollars  if  he  could  not  pro- 
duce a  message  for  any  individual  whatever  without 
the  slate  (which  said  person  could  bring  with  him) 
leaving  that  individual's  sight. 

This  was  a  pretty  bold  challenge ;  so  the  reporter 
decided  to  take  a  certain  gentleman  who  was  a  friend 
of  his,  and  by-the-way  an  expert  magician,  to  this 
medium  for  a  slate  writing.  The  gentleman  selected 
was  Dr.  A.  M.  Wilson  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  editor  of 
the  magician's  journal.  The  Sphinx,  and  to  whom  I 
am  indebted  for  the  secret  of  this  impressive  trick. 

Dr.  Wilson  purchased  and  took  a  slate  with  him, 
which  he  marked.  On  his  arrival  the  medium  insisted 
on  taking  the  slate  and  laying  it  on  the  floor.  The 
Doctor  did  not  object  to  this,  as  he  felt  sure  that  the 
medium  would  be  unable  to  divert  his  attention  from 
the  slate  for  a  single  instant.  I  will  mention  that  a 
large  piece  of  furniture — a  kind  of  wardrobe — stood 
against  the  wall  on  the  side  of  the  room  to  the  left  of 


l82        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

the  Doctor.  There  was  also,  between  the  Doctor  and 
the  near  side  of  this  wardrobe,  a  large  upholstered 
chair  which  partly  concealed  from  his  view  a  portion 
of  the  lower  part  of  the  wardrobe. 

The  medium  laid  the  slate  on  the  floor  a  little  dis- 
tance in  front  of  this  wardrobe  and  then  began  a  rapid 
discourse  to  the  Doctor  on  spiritual  science.  He  grew 
very  excited  and  kept  pacing  the  floor,  advancing  to  a 
position  near  the  Doctor  and  then  returning  to  the  far 
end  of  the  room.  As  he  made  these  pilgrimages  up 
and  down  the  room,  he  came  near  stepping  on  the  slate 
as  it  lay  in  his  way ;  so  with  his  foot  he  pushed  it 
slightly  toward  the  wardrobe  at  each  journey.  Mean- 
while he  seemed  to  forget  about  the  slate  so  intent  was 
he  on  his  lecture. 

Had  he  been  able  to  control  the  attention  of  the  Doc- 
tor so  as  to  ''hold  his  eye"  when  secretly  shoving  the 
slate  with  his  foot,  as  he  would  have  been  able  to  do 
with  ordinary  persons,  all  would  have  gone  well.  The 
Doctor,  however,  was  not  so  interested  in  the  lecture 
as  he  was  in  the  slate ;  and  he  saw  it  gradually  worked 
nearer  to  the  wardrobe  at  each  excursion  of  the  me- 
dium, until  it  was  partly  under  this  piece  of  furniture. 

The  Doctor  now  interposed  and  remarked  to  the 
medium  that  this  performance  had  gone  far  enough ; 
that  his  challenge  was  to  produce  a  message  without 
the  slate  leaving  his  sight,  and  that  the  slate  was  now 
nearly  out  of  view.  The  medium  grew  very  angry 
and  stormed  at  the  Doctor,  but  all  to  no  avail.  Finally 
the  Doctor  said  to  him  that  he  himself  was  a  magician 
and  a  performer  of  such  tricks ;  that  he  did  not  intend 
exposing  him,  so  that  he  might  just  as  well  confess. 
The  medium  hesitated  a  moment  and  then,  laughing, 
said  "Boys,  you  are  too  much  for  me.    I  own  up."    He 


SPIRIT  SLATE-VVRITIXG  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         183 

then  conducted  them  to  the  room  adjoining  theirs, 
where  sat  the  medium's  assistant  waiting  to  perform 
his  part  of  the  trick.  A  small  slot  had  been  cut  through 
the  base-board  adjoining  the  floor.  This  slot  was 
directly  underneath  the  wardrobe  in  the  adjoining 
room.  The  assistant  had  an  old-fashioned  *'soot 
scraper"  such  as  is  used  for  cleaning  out  the  bottom 
of  the  old-time  cooking  stoves.  With  this  useful  article 
his  task  was  to  reach  through  the  slot  and  draw  or 
scrape  the  slate  through  the  slot  in  the  wall,  and  shove 
a  duplicate  into  view  while  he  wrote  the  message. 
When  this  was  finished  he  drew  back  the  duplicate  and 
pushed  the  original  slate  into  view. 

When  this  was  all  over,  the  medium,  finishing  his 
discourse,  would  be  suddenly  reminded  of  the  slate, 
look  for  it,  and  see  it  just  out  from  under  the  ward- 
robe ;  then  lifting  it  from  the  floor  he  would  triumph- 
antly hand  it  with  its  message  to  the  sitter.  The  busi- 
ness was  quite  lucrative. 

At  another  time  a  wonderful  medium  appeared  m 
the  same  city  and  gave  psychometric  tests  in  a  public 
hall  to  those  bringing  articles  with  them.  The  tests 
were  very  marvelous,  and  the  medium  carried  away 
thousands  of  dollars. 

All  of  this  information  was  furnished  to  the  medium 
by  two  prominent  gentlemen  in  Kansas  City,  who  knew 
nearly  every  one  who  attended  spiritualist  meetings. 
One  of  these  gentlemen  received  a  very  fine  test ;  and 
the  medium,  looking  at  him,  said,  "Did  I  ever  see  you 
before?"  And  the  gentleman  said,  "You  did  not." 
Now,  Dr.  Wilson  happened  to  know  that  at  the  time 
the  medium  was  actually  stopping  at  the  home  of  this 
gentleman,  who  feigned  that  he  was  a  total  stranger 
to  the  medium. 


184         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

Much  of  the  work  of  mediums  is  performed  in  an 
impromptu  or  extempore  manner.  They  must  be  fa- 
miHar  with  the  various  tricks,  but  can  not  invariably 
follow  any  fixed  rule.  They  must  perform  one  way 
for  one  subject,  and  maybe  in  a  wholly  different  man- 
ner for  another.  I  can  not  better  illustrate  the  extem- 
poraneous nature  of  their  work,  than  by  describing 
two  slate  writings  given  by  a  professional  medium 
whom  I  know. 

Mediums  are  continually  working  for  what  they 
term  ''cases."  This  is  where  the  medium  exerts  his 
spiritual  influence  in  behalf  of  the  subject  in  some 
matter,  and  for  which  he  receives  usually  a  goodly 
sum.  Most  ardent  believers  have  some  matter  wherein 
they  need  assistance;  and  they  usually  employ  a  me- 
dium, if  he  impresses  them  properly,  and  if  they  believe 
implicitly  in  his  powers. 

There  was  an  elderly  gentleman  who  had  repeatedly 
received  slate  writings  from  this  medium,  but  never  on 
slates  of  his  own.  The  medium  had  been  prevailing 
on  this  elderly  gentleman  to  give  him  his  "case,"  but 
the  gentleman  had  no  means  of  his  own.  He  could 
only  secure  the  necessary  sum  of  money  from  his  son- 
in-law,  and  the  latter  refused  to  let  him  have  it,  saying 
that  all  mediums  were  fraudulent ;  and  that  he  would 
never  advance  the  funds,  unless  the  gentleman  should 
secure  a  slate  writing  on  his  own  slates. 

Of  this  the  gentleman  informed  the  medium,  and  he 
then  made  an  appointment  with  the  medium  for  a  cer- 
tain evening  that  week.  This  gentleman  had  a  spirit- 
ualistic book  that  dealt  with  an  'Tndian  Spirit  Guide," 
and  some  similar  matters  that  interested  him  greatly, 
and  over  which  he  was  very  enthusiastic.     This  book 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         185 

he  loaned  to  the  medium  to  read,  at  the  time  when  he 
made  the  appointment. 

The  old  gentleman,  at  the  proper  time,  went  to  a 
store  and  purchased  two  slates,  carrying  them  to  the 
home  of  the  medium  wrapped  and  tied  in  the  original 
paper  of  the  stationer.  Meanwhile  the  medium  had 
instructed  his  confederate,  who  was  concealed  in  the 
adjoining  yard.  It  was  summer  time  and  the  medium's 
windows  were  open.  A  center  table  stood  by  an  open 
window. 

When  the  gentleman  arrived,  the  medium  directed 
him  to  lay  his  package  on  the  table  and  to  give  him 
his  attention  for  a  few  moments.  The  medium  was 
reading  in  the  "Indian  Spirit"  book,  and  seemed  to 
greatly  desire  to  discuss  certain  passages  with  the  gen- 
tleman. A  chair  was  placed  so  that  the  gentleman's 
back  was  towards  the  table ;  and  as  he  was  very  enthu- 
siastic over  the  aforesaid  book,  he  became  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  discussion.  Meanwhile  the  confederate, 
who  had  seen  the  gentleman  arrive,  reached  secretly 
through  the  open  window,  drew  the  slates  out,  untied 
them,  wrote  a  message,  re-tied  and  replaced  them. 
When  the  medium  saw  them  again  in  place  on  the 
table,  he  said  to  the  gentleman,  "You  want  a  message 
on  your  own  slates.  I  suppose  you  have  them  there.  Of 
course  you  know  that  there  is  nothing  on  them ;  so 
just  get  them  and  hold  them  in  your  lap,  still  tied  up." 
This  the  subject  did.  After  a  time  the  medium  asked 
the  gentleman  to  look  and  see  if  he  had  received  any- 
thing. 

The  gentleman  could  only  walk  with  a  cane,  and  had 
not  gone  without  one  for  years.  When  he  saw  his 
message,  he  became  so  excited  that  he  immediately 
started  to  his  son-in-law's  home  in  Council  Bluffs,  to 


l86         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING   AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

show  his  message  in  triumph;  and  in  his  excitement 
he  never  thought  of  his  cane,  and  walked  several 
blocks  to  the  car  line  without  it,  and  did  not  recover 
it  for  three  days.  I  know  the  name  of  the  confederate 
who  wrote  the  message,  and  he  is  a  resident  of  Omaha. 
The  medium  secured  the  gentleman's  "case"  without 
trouble  after  this. 

I  know  another  instance  where  this  same  medium 
sold  to  a  business  man  of  Omaha,  who  happened  to 
be  a  believer,  a  girdle  which  he  should  wear  and  which 
would  increase  his  business  twenty  per  cent.  He  paid 
sixteen  dollars  for  this  girdle.  I  have  secured  one  of 
these  and  have  it  in  my  possession. 
*     >k     ^ 

At  another  time  a  gentleman  had  repeatedly  received 
slate-writings  from  this  medium,  but  decided  to  in- 
vestigate further  and  bring  his  own  slates.  Now, 
mediums  are  not  looking  for  patrons  of  this  class,  and 
only  give  them  a  sitting  where  there  is  considerable 
money  or  some  good  advertising  to  be  gained  thereby. 
At  this  time  the  medium  had  rooms  in  a  business  block. 
The  believer  moved  into  this  block,  taking  a  room  on 
the  floor  above  the  medium,  in  order  to  be  near  him 
and  have  good  opportunity  to  conduct  his  investiga- 
tions. 

The  medium  was  not  anxious ;  and  although  the 
gentleman  came  repeatedly  with  his  own  slates  tied 
up  in  paper,  always  managed  to  put  him  off  in  some 
manner,  saying  that  conditions  were  not  right  or  some- 
thing of  the  kind.  Finally  one  day  the  medium  saw 
the  gentleman  leave  his  rooms  on  some  errand ;  and 
securing  a  pass  key,  he  entered  the  gentleman's  room, 
untied  the  slates,  prepared  a  message,  re-tying  them 
and  leaving  all  as  before.    He  knew  if  the  gentleman 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         187 

should  make  an  examination  and  find  the  message,  he 
would  attribute  it  to  ''spirits,"  so  he  took  the  chance. 
In  due  time  the  gentleman  walked  in  with  his  slates 
still  tied  and  under  his  arm.  He  had  not  opened  them, 
and  he  received  a  message  that  completely  satisfied  all 
of  his  previous  doubts. 

I  also  know  of  an  instance  where  a  medium  stopped 
at  the  home  of  a  believer  over  night.  He  was  left 
alone  in  the  room  a  short  time  while  the  host  was  busy 
elsewhere.  During  this  time  he  succeeded  in  locating 
the  host's  slates  (most  believers  have  a  set)  tied  up 
neatly  in  a  bureau  drawer.  He  quickly  prepared  a 
message,  and  again  tied  them  up  as  before.  Later  he 
asked  for  some  slates,  and  when  they  were  brought 
out  asked  the  host  to  hold  them  just  as  they  were. 
His  success  was  so  great  that  he  was  paid  a  goodly 
fee ;  and  this  led  to  many  "readings"  by  mail  and  quite 
frequently  brought  the  medium  a  ten  dollar  bill  in  a 
letter,  as  the  gentleman  was  wealthy.  This  gentleman 
lives  in  a  small  town  about  thirty  miles  from  Omaha. 

In  case  a  medium  or  his  assistant  secretly  obtains 
possession  of  a  sitter's  slates  in  a  manner  such  as  de- 
scribed in  the  first  part  of  this  number  or  by  any  other 
method,  and  they  are  securely  screwed  or  fastened 
together,  he  may  proceed  with  any  of  the  methods 
given  below. 

If  the  two  slates  are  screwed  together,  the  assistant 
opens  them  with  a  screw-driver  and  replaces  the  screws 
after  writing  the  message.  If  the  screws  are  sealed, 
he  may  be  able  to  remove  the  wax  by  passing  a  heated 
wire  under  the  seals,  and  afterwards  replace  them  with 
a  small  hot  iron  which  he  keeps  over  an  alcohol  flame 
for  such  purposes.  If  he  is  wholly  unable  to  get  into 
the  slates,  he  then  drives  a  small  wedge  between  the 


l88         SPIRIT   SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

frames,  spreading  them  a  trifle,  and  inserts  a  corset 
steel  with  a  small  pencil  at  the  end  and  does  the  writing 
with  this. 

If  everything  else  fail,  a  message  can  be  written  on 
the  outer  sides  of  the  slates,  and  there  will  be  some 
effect ;  although  the  effect  will  be  nothing  like  it  would 
be  if  the  message  were  inside. 

In  case  a  pencil  can  not  be  inserted  between  the 
slates  with  a  corset  steel,  sometimes  the  message  is 
written  on  a  slip  of  paper  and  this  can  be  slipped  in 
rather  easily. 

XIV. 

There  is  another  case  where  a  message  is  produced 
on  a  marked  slate  brought  by  a  subject.  In  this  case 
there  is  no  assistant  and  the  slate  never  leaves  the 
sitter's  hand.  He  is  instructed  to  place  his  slate  under 
and  near  the  center  of  a  small  table,  to  press  it  up 
against  the  table  and  to  hold  it  by  the  edges  only. 
In  a  short  time  a  message  is  found.  In  this  case  the 
message  is  printed  by  the  medium  pressing  a  rubber 
stamp  containing  it  (and  which  is  previously  covered 
with  powdered  chalk),  against  the  slate  while  under 
the  table. 

This  stamp  is  made  from  a  message  written  out  by 
the  medium,  so  that  it  looks  like  ordinary  writing. 
It  is  attached  to  a  rubber  elastic  under  the  medium's 
coat;  and  the  chalk  on  its  letters  is  not  disturbed 
owing  to  the  fact  that  the  medium  has  a  tin  case  or 
guard  on  his  trousers  at  the  top  on  one  side. 

The  stamp  is  held  in  this  tin  guard  or  clamp  until 
the  slate  is  under  the  table.  The  medium  pretends 
to  feel  under  the  table  to  see  if  the  slate  is  in  the  right 
position.    He  secretly  carries  the  stamp  up  in  his  hand, 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         189 

presses  it  quickly  against  the  slate,  then  removing  his 
hand,  releases  the  stamp.  It  is  drawn  quickly  out  of 
sight  by  the  elastic  under  his  coat,  just  like  a  hand- 
kerchief vanisher  used  by  a  magician.  The  medium 
has  a  number  of  stamps  each  bearing  different  mes- 
sages, so  that  he  can  select  a  suitable  one  for  each 

sitter. 

*     *     * 

As  I  write  this  chapter,  there  is  a  medium  about 
one  hundred  miles  west  of  Omaha  who  is  traveling 
around  giving  slate  writings.  His  method  is  very 
simple  but  is  perfectly  successful. 

He  is  very  expert  at  talking,  and  can  hold  a  sub- 
ject's attention  in  a  marvelous  manner.  During  the 
entire  experiment  he  talks  constantly,  with  great  rapid- 
ity, and  greatly  interests  the  subject. 

He  uses  three  slates,  but  the  subject  sees  and  exam- 
ines but  two.  The  third  slate,  with  the  message,  is 
in  a  large  pocket  on  the  inside  of  his  right  coat  front. 
He  has  the  slates  examined ;  and  during  this  time  he 
is  nervously  walking  behind  the  subject,  and  then  in 
front  of  him,  tapping  him  on  the  shoulders,  and  talking 
rapidly.  He  takes  the  two  examined  slates  and  places 
them  together,  and  stepping  behind,  the  medium  ap- 
parently places  them  on  the  subject's  head,  requesting 
him  to  reach  up  and  grasp  them.  He  immediately 
steps  to  the  front  without  any  cessation  in  his  dis- 
course, and  completely  controls  the  subject's  attention ; 
so  that  the  latter  thinks  nothing  of  the  fact  that  the 
medium  passed  back  of  him,  and  in  fact  soon  for- 
gets it. 

Just  as  the  medium  steps  back  of  the  subject,  he 
quickly  takes  the  back  slate  with  his  left  hand  and 
leaves  it  in  his  large  pocket,  and  instantly  draws  out 


igO        SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

and  substitutes  the  prepared  slate.  He  does  this  so 
quickly,  without  any  pause  in  his  walking  or  talking, 
that  he  never  fails  with  the  trick. 

If  a  medium  be  a  lady,  she  has  many  opportunities 
for  slate  writing  that  a  male  medium  does  not  have. 
She  can  have  so  many  large  pockets  in  her  skirts,  and 
can  so  easily  conceal  and  exchange  slates  under  a 
table  and  in  so  many  ways,  that  it  is  very  hard  to  de- 
tect the  exact  means  she  may  use.  One  lady  medium 
had  a  mechanical  rapper  under  her  skirts  which  rapped 
loudly  on  the  floor  when  she  pressed  her  knees  to- 
gether. She  could  thus  have  the  ''spirits"  announce 
in  this  mysterious  manner  when  a  message  was  com- 
pleted. 

There  are  also  means  for  using  secret  panels,  if  a 
subject  allow  his  slates  near  one,  or  even  near  any 
draperies ;  and  in  fact,  there  are  so  many  secret  means, 
that  the  only  way  a  subject  can  be  sure  of  a  genuine 
slate  writing  is  to  have  his  own  slates  and  never  let 
them  out  of  his  hands  or  sight  for  even  one  instant 
after  cleaning  them.  I  do  not  think  anyone  will  ever 
obtain  such  a  writing. 

*     *     * 

There  are  also  chemical  tricks,  although  they  are 
not  so  much  used.  If  a  message  be  prepared  with 
nitrate  of  silver,  and  then  breathed  upon,  it  will  vanish. 
If  the  slate  be  washed  with  salt  water,  the  message 
appears  but  can  not  be  erased.  There  are  also  dozens 
of  chemicals  for  writing  invisible  messages  on  paper, 
which  will  appear  from  heat,  or  from  the  application 
of  a  blotter  saturated  with  other  chemicals.  If  a  mes- 
sage be  written  on  paper  with  a  solution  of  sulphate 
of  iron,  it  is  invisible.  If  the  paper  be  placed  in  an 
envelope  moistened  inside  with  a  solution  of  nut-galls, 


SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS.         IQI 

the  writing  appears.  The  paper  can  be  placed  between 
slates  just  washed  with  the  same  solution,  and  the 
writing  will  soon  be  visible. 

There  are  slate  writing  mediums  such  as  Slade,  who 
can  use  the  toes  for  writing  messages  on  slates  laid 
on  the  floor  under  the  table.  The  medium  wears  a 
shoe  that  he  can  slip  off  the  foot  easily,  and  the  end 
of  the  stocking  is  cut  away.  There  are  also  slate 
writers  who  write  with  a  small  piece  of  pencil  held 
on  the  end  of  a  single  finger  by  a  little  piece  of  flesh 
colored  court  plaster  with  a  hole  in  its  center.  In 
such  cases  the  message  is  written  while  the  hand 
pinches  the  slate  up  under  the  table.  There  is  a 
thimble  used,  sometimes,  with  holders  attached  con- 
taining colored  crayons ;  but  it  requires  an  expert  to 
use  it.  Messages  can  be  written  on  paper  by  the 
''court-plaster  method"  while  holding  the  paper  or  card 
in  the  hand  and  waving  it  about. 

In  many  of  the  slate  tricks  where  an  assistant  is  used, 
a  system  of  speaking  tubes  can  be  employed  with 
wonderful  results  if  the  medium  be  in  his  own  home. 
The  openings  are  concealed  by  picture  molding,  dra- 
peries, etc.  They  enable  the  assistant  to  hear  all  the 
information  the  medium  gets  from  the  subject  during 
the  reading,  and  he  can  thus  prepare  a  more  effective 
message.  These  same  tubes  can  be  utilized  by  the 
medium  for  producing  ''independent"  whispers  and 
voices  in  a  room  where  he  holds  a  circle.  By  the  use 
of  switches  the  voices  appear  to  be  first  here,  then 
there,  or  can  even  enter  at  all  of  the  openings  at  once. 
Sound  is  very  deceptive,  and  in  the  last  case  it  appears 
to  be  in  the  very  air. 

There  are  many  slate  tricks  that  I  have  not  described 
here ;  but   I  have  endeavored  to  give  the  best,   and 


192         SPIRIT  SLATE-WRITING  AND  BILLET  TESTS. 

also  to  give  a  good  example  of  the  different  types, 
which  will  well  illustrate  the  principles  employed. 

In  reference  to  information  furnished  by  mediums 
in  slate  writings  or  otherwise,  there  are  so  many  means 
of  obtaining  the  same,  that  it  is  difficult  to  be  certain 
of  a  test  of  this  kind.  The  "Blue  Book"  of  Boston 
contains  over  seven  thousand  names  alphabetically  cata- 
logued, with  tests  for  each  individual.  Some  of  the 
names  are  marked  with  such  marks  as  "D.  E."  (dead 
easy),  etc. 

Information  is  gathered  from  tombstones,  old  files 
of  the  daily  papers  and  even  by  an  advance  agent  who 
does  secret  detective  work  for  that  purpose.  The  most 
information  used  in  circles,  however,  is  obtained  in  the 
private  readings  given  by  the  mediums.  This  is  all 
catalogued,  and  used  with  telling  effect. 


SOAIE  MODERN  SORCERY. 


NOT  long  ago  I  received  a  letter  from  an  old  time 
friend,  in  which  he  urgently  requested  me  to  make 
a  journey  to  his  city.  In  by-gone  days  he  and  I  had 
spent  many  hours  together,  discussing  the  mysteries 
of  existence,  the  hidden  powers  which  nature  manifests 
to  us,  and  the  origin  and  destiny  of  the  human  soul. 
My  friend  is  a  physician,  and  what  is  more,  an  earnest 
student ;  and  he  is  also  an  investigator  of  that  strange 
phenomenon  in  nature  which  manifests  itself  in  organ- 
ized beings  subjectively,  as  thought,  feeling  and  things 
spiritual. 

Many  times  had  we  discussed  the  possibility  and  also 
the  probability  of  an  existence  of  the  spiritual  part  of 
man  after  death.  Many  times  had  he  reported  to  me 
cases  of  strange  phenomena  that  tended  to  prove  the 
indestructibility  of  spirit. 

When  I  received  this  missive,  it  stated  to  me  that 
the  writer  most  earnestly  desired  my  presence  in  his 
city,  that  I  might  assist  in  investigating  a  very  strange 
and  marvelous  case  of  psychic  phenomena.  The  case 
was  that  of  a  certain  traveling  spirit  medium,  who 
claimed  the  power  to  summon  from  the  realms  of  the 
invisible,  the  shades  of  our  departed  friends  and  loved 
ones.     He  gave  most  marvelous  exhibitions  to  prove 


194  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

his  strange  and  miraculous  power.  My  friend  stated 
that  he  thought  he  had  at  last  found  a  person  with  at 
least  some  queer  psychical  gift,  if  not  even  possessing 
the  power  that  he  claimed.  He  had  watched  the  ex- 
hibition most  carefully,  and  had  even  served  on  a  com- 
mittee on  the  psychic's  stage;  and  he  could  find  no 
evidence  of  trickery  of  any  kind.  He  was  inclined  to 
believe  that  this  strange  being  really  possessed  the 
power  of  vision  without  the  use  of  human  eyes  as  he 
certainly  read  sealed  missives,  of  which  he  could  in 
no  secret  manner  have  obtained  knowledge. 

Accordingly,  on  Saturday  evening,  I  journeyed  to 
a  city  one  hundred  miles  away  to  witness  the  work  of 
this  modern  sorcerer.  On  my  arrival  I  suggested  to 
my  friend  a  number  of  ways  by  which  such  things 
could  be  performed  by  trickery,  but  he  informed  me 
that  none  of  my  explanations  seemed  to  elucidate  this 
strange  work.  The  secret  did  not  consist  in  the  use 
of  odorless  alcohol,  for  the  reason  that  the  medium 
never  touched  the  sealed  envelopes  at  all.  In  fact  he 
was  never  nearer  to  them  than  ten  feet.  This  also 
made  it  impossible  for  him  to  use  the  principle  on 
which  the  trick  is  based,  which  is  known  to  the  profes- 
sion as  "Washington  Irving  Bishop's  Sealed  Letter 
Reading." 

He  informed  me  that  sheets  of  paper  or  cards  were 
passed  to  the  spectators  in  the  audience,  and  at  the 
same  time  envelopes  in  which  to  seal  their  questions 
were  furnished  for  them;  that  the  spectators  wrote 
questions  as  directed,  many  times  signing  their  own 
names  to  them.  He  was  certain  that  many  persons 
folded  their  written  questions  before  sealing  them,  and 
that  the  operator  himself  did  not  even  collect  the  en- 
velopes on  many  occasions.    He  informed  me  that  the 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  1 95 

best  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  the  performance, 
lay  in  the  fact  that  the  medium  seemed  to  have  no 
fixed  conditions  for  his  experiments;  but  seemed  to 
perform  them  in  a  different  manner  on  each  occasion. 
The  conditions  were  different  in  every  case,  yet  he 
always  read  the  questions  with  the  most  marvelous  cer- 
tainty. 

I  thought  the  matter  over  after  this,  but  could  in 
no  way  think  of  any  plausible  means  of  accomplishing 
his  work  by  trickery.  I  finally  decided  to  wait  and  see 
the  performance  first,  and  to  figure  afterwards  on  the 
method  employed. 

Accordingly,  at  eight  o'clock  that  evening  I  was 
seated  in  the  hall  with  my  friend,  and  shortly  after- 
wards the  ''Seer"  made  his  appearance,  taking  his  seat 
on  the  stage.  He  was  a  very  slender  personage,  with 
long  hair  and  a  particularly  ghostly  look.  He  took 
his  seat  quietly  on  the  stage.  In  a  short  time  his  man- 
ager appeared  and  made  an  opening  address,  which  I 
will  not  repeat,  and  then  asked  some  boy  in  the  audi- 
ence to  pass  cards  around  to  the  spectators  on  which 
they  were  to  write  questions.  Envelopes  were  also 
distributed,  in  which  to  seal  the  cards.  When  the 
writing  was  finished,  the  manager  asked  any  boy  to 
take  a  hat  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  collect  the 
sealed  envelopes.  After  the  boy,  whom  every  one 
knew  to  be  a  local  resident,  kindly  volunteered  for  this 
service  and  executed  it,  a  committee  was  invited  to  the 
stage  to  properly  blindfold  the  medium.  This  was 
done  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  and  the  committee  then 
returned  to  the  audience.  The  manager  now  led  the 
blindfolded  medium  to  the  rear  of  the  stage,  where  he 
was  seated  somewhat  behind  a  table,  on  which  were 
some  flowers,  a  music  box,  etc.    However,  the  medium 


196  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

was  in  view  plainly ;  and  he  never  removed  the  band- 
age from  his  eyes  or  in  any  manner  molested  it. 

When  the  boy  came  on  the  stage  directly  from  the 
front  with  the  hat  full  of  sealed  envelopes,  the  manager 
placed  a  handkerchief  over  the  hat  and  asked  the  boy 
to  take  a  seat  near  the  front  of  the  stage  facing  the 
audience.  He  was  also  directed  to  hold  the  hat  in  his 
lap,  and  to  deliver  the  envelopes  to  the  manager,  one 
at  a  time,  as  he  should  call  for  them. 

The  operator  now  delivered  a  lecture,  lasting  some 
ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  explaining  the  strange  powers 
of  the  blindfolded  medium,  who  sat  at  the  rear  of  the 
stage  in  full  view;  while  the  boy  still  maintained  the 
seat  at  the  front  of  the  stage,  and  held  the  hat  of  en- 
velopes in  sight  of  all. 

After  the  lecture,  the  manager  requested  the  boy  to 
give  him  one  of  the  envelopes,  which  the  boy  did.  The 
manager  did  not  look  towards  it  in  any  manner;  but 
took  it  in  the  tips  of  his  right  fingers,  held  it  in  the 
air,  and  asked  the  medium  to  give  the  writer  of  this 
question  a  test.  The  medium  shivered  a  few  times, 
allowed  his  frame  to  convulse  slightly,  and  thus  began : 
'T  feel  the  influence  of  one  who  was  a  brother.  I 
get  the  name  of  Clarence.  Will  the  one  who  wrote 
this  question  identify  it  as  his?"  There  was  no  re- 
sponse from  the  spectators,  and  the  medium  asked 
again  that  the  writer  speak  out.  Still  silence  greeted 
his  request ;  when  suddenly  he  pointed  his  bony  finger 
into  the  crowd,  while  his  blinded  face  confronted  them, 
and  exclaimed:  "Mr.  John  H — ,  why  do  you  not 
respond  to  your  test?"  A  gentleman  in  the  audience 
then  acknowledged  the  test  as  his.  The  medium  then 
continued:  "Clarence  was  drowned.  I  sense  the  cold 
chilly  water  as  it  envelopes  his  form."     At  this  the 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  I97 

lady  sitting  with  the  gentleman  began  to  cry.  The 
medium  continued:  "The  drowning  was  wholly  an 
accident.  There  was  no  foul  play.  Now,  Mr.  H — , 
have  I  answered  your  question,  and  are  you  satisfied 
with  your  test?"  The  gentleman,  a  well-known  citi- 
zen, acknowledged  that  he  was  perfectly  satisfied. 

The  manager  then  laid  the  envelope  on  a  small  table 
and  asked  the  boy  for  another  one.  The  boy  gave  him 
another  from  the  hat  when  the  blindfolded  medium, 
ten  feet  or  more  distant,  gave  the  second  test. 

He  shivered  again  and  began:  "I  feel  the  influence 
of  a  young  lady  who  died  suddenly.  She  says,  'Sister 
Mary,  I  am  very  happy,  and  death  was  not  so  hard  to 
endure.  I  want  you  to  consult  a  good  honorable  at- 
torney, and  take  his  advice  in  the  law  suit  you  ask  me 
about.'  "  The  medium  then  continued,  "Miss  L — , 
your  sister  regards  you  with  a  look  of  great  tenderness 
and  love.  Are  you  satisfied  with  your  test  ?"  A  lady 
then  replied  that  she  certainly  was  entirely  convinced. 

The  manager  now  laid  this  sealed  envelope  beside 
the  other  one  and  again  called  for  another.  This  was 
continued  until  all  of  the  envelopes  in  the  hat  were  re- 
moved and  the  questions  answered.  None  of  the  en- 
velopes were  opened.  In  some  instances  the  medium 
first  read  the  questions,  word  for  word  before  answer- 
ing them ;  and  when  he  did  so,  he  described  the  writing 
minutely,  even  the  formation  of  the  strokes  of  the 
letters. 

After  all  of  these  tests  were  given,  the  medium  re- 
moved the  blindfold  and  seemed  much  exhausted.  Then 
the  tables  were  removed  to  one  side  of  the  stage,  and 
a  cabinet  erected ;  after  which  some  cabinet  manifesta- 
tions that  were  very  interesting  were  given.  When 
these  were  over,  the  manager  collected  the  sealed  en- 


198  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

velopes  from  the  table,  and  placed  them  on  the  front 
of  the  stage,  inviting  the  writers  to  call,  should  they  so 
desire,  and  get  their  questions.  Some  availed  them- 
selves of  this  opportunity  and  tore  open  a  number  of 
the  envelopes  until  they  found  their  own  questions. 
The  audience  seemed  greatly  impressed  with  this  ex- 
hibition, and  the  next  day  it  was  the  talk  of  the  town. 

On  the  next  evening  I  again  repaired  to  the  public 
hall  to  witness,  and  if  possible,  fathom  this  perform- 
ance. This  time,  however,  I  found  that  an  entirely 
different  method  was  employed.  Envelopes  and  slips 
of  paper  were  distributed ;  and  after  the  questions  were 
written  and  sealed  the  manager  went  about  the  room, 
gathering  them  up  in  a  small  black  bag  with  a  draw- 
string around  its  top.  As  he  gathered  up  each  one, 
and  while  the  writer  still  held  it,  he  gave  to  that  per- 
son a  number  which  was  to  serve  as  that  particular 
person's  number  during  the  tests.  At  the  same  time 
the  manager  marked  the  number  on  the  subject's  en- 
velope, while  the  subject  held  it,  drawing  a  circle 
around  the  figure,  after  which  the  subject  dropped  the 
envelope  into  the  sack. 

When  all  were  collected,  the  operator  took  the  sack 
in  the  tips  of  his  fingers,  and  holding  it  aloft,  walked 
up  the  run-way  to  the  stage  where  a  cord  hung  from 
a  screw-eye  fastened  in  the  ceiling  above.  The  other 
end  of  the  cord  was  attached  to  a  piece  of  furniture 
on  the  stage.  The  manager  now  attached  the  black 
bag  containing  the  envelopes  to  the  end  of  this  string, 
and  then  taking  the  other  end,  drew  the  bag  up  to  the 
ceiling  near  the  screw-eye,  where  it  remained  in  full 
view  during  the  tests. 

While  the  manager  was  doing  all  this,  the  ghost-like 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  1 99 

medium  had  been  walking  about  the  stage,  reading  in 
a  large  Bible.  He  now  laid  the  Bible  on  a  table  and 
advanced  to  the  front  of  the  stage,  while  the  manager 
delivered  a  lecture  on  spiritual  philosophy  and  also  on 
the  strange  power  of  the  medium.  After  this  the  man- 
ager announced  that  the  medium  would  hold  a  Bible 
service,  during  which  time  he  would  give  the  tests. 

The  medium  now  took  his  Bible,  and  seating  himself 
in  a  chair  facing  the  audience,  began  by  reading  a 
verse.  After  this  he  closed  his  eyes  for  a  time,  and 
then  gave  the  first  test.  He  began :  *'I  will  give  these 
tests  in  the  order  in  which  the  manager  gave  you  your 
numbers,  commencing  with  number  one.  Now,  Mrs. 
Clara  S — ,  I  see  standing  near  you  an  elderly  lady, 
somewhat  stooped ;  but  I  can  not  see  her  face  plainly. 
She  seems  to  be  your  mother.  She  says  to  tell  you 
that  your  son  is  doing  well  where  he  is,  and  for  you 
not  to  worry,  for  he  will  return  to  you  in  time.  Are 
you  satisfied?"  A  lady  in  the  audience  was  visibly 
affected,  and  acknowledged  that  the  medium  had  an- 
swered her  question  correctly.  The  medium  read  an- 
other verse  in  the  Bible,  after  which  he  gave  the  second 
test  in  a  manner  similar  to  the  way  in  which  he  had 
given  the  first  one.  After  this  he  read  another  verse, 
and  so  continued  until  all  the  questions  in  the  sack 
were  answered.  The  manager  now  lowered  the  sack, 
and  emptying  the  envelopes  into  a  small  basket  dis- 
tributed them  unopened  to  their  writers. 

The  effect  of  this  exhibition  was  fully  as  great  as 
was  that  of  the  former  one,  and  the  medium  continued 
to  be  the  wonder  of  the  town. 

On  the  next  evening  I  again  attended  the  meeting. 
On  this  occasion  questions  were  written  and  sealed  as 


200  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

on  the  former  occasions.  This  time  the  medium  was 
dressed  as  a  ''Mahatma,"  wearing  a  large  turban.  As 
soon  as  the  questions  were  written,  the  manager  col- 
lected them  in  a  small  wicker  basket,  and  emptied  them 
on  a  table  on  the  stage.  He  only  talked  for  a  moment, 
describing  what  the  medium  would  do.  During  all  this 
time  the  medium  was  seated  near  the  front  of  the 
stage.  The  medium  now  tapped  a  little  bell  he  held  in 
his  hand,  as  if  summoning  the  spirits,  and  began  giv- 
ing the  tests  in  the  most  marvelous  manner.  He 
seemed  somewhat  nervous,  and  finally  arose  and  walked 
across  the  stage,  stopped  a  moment  and  then  continued 
his  walk.  Meanwhile  he  kept  giving  the  tests.  Oc- 
casionally he  would  walk  about  nervoulsy,  and  some- 
times he  would  seat  himself  in  the  chair  for  a  time : 
but  he  kept  right  on  giving  test  after  test,  with  perfect 
accuracy,  while  the  sealed  envelopes  remained  in  full 
view  on  the  table.  During  this  time,  and  in  fact  during 
the  time  the  audience  was  writing  the  questions,  neither 
the  medium  nor  the  manager  had  ever  left  the  sight  of 
the  spectators  for  even  an  instant. 

After  all  the  tests  were  given,  the  medium,  very 
much  exhausted,  fell  on  a  couch  on  the  stage;  while 
the  manager  scooped  the  envelopes  back  into  the  bas- 
ket, and  then  distributed  them  to  their  writers  in  an 
unopened  condition. 

I  will  now  explain  how  this  "occultist"  gave  these 
various  billet  tests. 

II. 

We  will  first  refer  to  the  tests  given  the  first  evening. 
A  boy  from  the  audience  gathered  up  the  sealed  en- 
velopes in  a  hat,  and  brought  them  to  the  stage,  sitting 
with  them  in  his  lap ;  while  he  delivered  one  at  a  time 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  20I 

to  the  manager,  who  held  it  aloft,  during  which  time 
the  blindfolded  medium  in  the  rear  gave  the  test. 

There  was  a  simple  little  move  that  escaped  the  eyes 
of  the  spectators  in  this  instance.  The  spectators  did 
not  know  what  was  to  happen,  neither  did  the  boy. 
The  move  was  executed  as  follows:  Just  as  the  boy 
came  on  the  stage  with  the  hat  the  manager  received 
the  hat  in  his  right  hand  and  in  a  natural  manner. 
Nothing  was  thought  of  this,  as  there  was  nothing  sus- 
picious in  the  act.  Meanwhile  the  manager  directed 
the  boy  to  take  a  chair  that  sat  to  the  left  of  the  front 
of  the  stage,  and  to  place  it  to  the  right  side  in  front, 
facing  the  audience,  and  to  take  his  seat  thereon.  Now, 
this  conversation  with  the  boy  naturally  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  spectators ;  and  while  the  boy  was  exe- 
cuting the  directions  the  manager  turned  to  the  table, 
which  was  somewhat  back  on  the  stage,  and  apparently 
took  a  large  handkerchief  from  it,  and  with  the  hat 
still  apparently  in  his  hand,  he  stepped  to  the  boy, 
giving  him  the  hat  of  envelopes  and  the  handkerchief, 
at  the  same  time  instructing  him  how  to  cover  the  hat, 
and  how  to  deliver  the  envelopes  one  at  a  time.  All 
of  this  maneuvering  seemed  so  natural  that  the  audi- 
ence thought  nothing  whatever  of  it. 

Now,  as  the  manager  turned  to  the  table  to  get  the 
handkerchief,  and  while  most  eyes  were  on  the  boy 
as  he  placed  his  chair  and  took  his  seat,  the  manager 
deftly  exchanged  the  hat  in  his  right  hand  for  another 
hat  just  like  it,  that  was  filled  with  "dummy"  envelopes 
and  which  was  behind  the  flowers,  music  box,  etc.,  on 
the  table.  As  he  immediately  turned  with  the  hat  ap- 
parently still  in  his  hand,  but  with  a  large  handkerchief 
in  his  other  hand,  everything  seemed  natural  and  the 
audience  thought  nothing  of  the  incident. 


202  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

The  manager  now,  after  giving  the  boy  the  hat  and 
handkerchief,  invited  a  committee  to  come  forward  and 
blindfold  the  medium  who  had  been  seated  at  the  left 
of  the  stage.  The  committee  first  placed  a  lady's  glove 
on  the  eyes  of  the  medium  as  an  additional  precaution, 
and  then  placed  a  handkerchief  over  this  and  tied  it 
behind  his  head.  This  method  of  blindfolding  is  the 
one  usually  employed  by  most  mediums.  If  the  face 
of  the  medium  be  properly  formed,  he  can  easily  shift 
such  a  bandage  with  his  eyebrows,  sufficiently  to  see 
directly  under  his  eyes,  by  looking  down  alongside  his 
nose.  The  committee  now  retired  to  the  audience,  and 
the  performer  led  the  medium  to  a  seat  behind  the 
table. 

Now,  while  the  manager  delivered  the  lengthy  lec- 
ture, the  medium  quietly  tilted  over  the  hat  of  enve- 
lopes behind  the  objects  on  the  table;  and  then  taking 
one  at  a  time,  opened  the  envelopes  and  removed  the 
cards,  arranging  the  cards  on  top  of  each  other  like 
a  pack  of  playing  cards.  The  lecture  lasted  long 
enough  for  the  medium  to  complete  this  task ;  and  as 
he  held  the  cards  in  his  left  hand,  he  could  now  move 
slightly  to  the  right  so  that  he  was  pretty  well  in  view 
of  the  spectators.  However,  his  left  hand  did  not  come 
into  view. 

By  the  time  the  lecture  was  completed,  the  spec- 
tators had  entirely  forgotten  the  fact  that  the  manager 
ever  received  the  hat  from  the  boy  at  all.  In  fact,  next 
day  I  noticed  from  the  talk  of  the  spectators,  that  they 
invariably  asserted  that  the  hat  never  left  the  boy's 
hands  or  their  sight. 

Now,  while  the  manager  held  each  envelope  aloft, 
the  medium  had  but  to  read  the  top  card  in  his  left 
hand  and  give  the  tests  in  a  dramatic  manner.    After 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  203 

the  tests,  when  the  tables  were  set  to  one  side  and  a 
cabinet  erected,  an  assistant  out  of  view  received  the 
cards  from  the  medium's  left  hand;  and  then  while 
behind  the  scenes,  replaced  them  in  envelopes,  sealed 
them,  and  then  exchanged  these  for  the  "dummy"  en- 
velopes on  the  small  table.  After  the  entertainment, 
the  manager  placed  the  originals  (now  again  sealed), 
near  the  front  of  the  stage  for  the  writers  to  take  and 
keep  as  souvenirs  if  they  should  so  desire. 

It  is  evident  that  this  method  could  be  varied  a  little. 
For  instance,  when  the  manager  holds  the  envelope 
aloft,  the  medium  could  first  read  it  and  carefully  de- 
scribe the  writing.  He  could  then  ask  for  the  enve- 
lope, so  as  to  become  en  rapport  with  the  writer,  in 
order  that  he  may  give  the  correct  answer.  In  this 
case  he  could  leave  the  surplus  cards  on  the  back  of 
the  table  behind  the  music  box,  and  have  in  his  left 
palm,  only  the  single  card  he  is  reading.  When  he 
receives  the  envelope,  he  should  place  it  in  his  left  hand 
directly  over  the  card,  and  tear  off  the  end  of  the  en- 
velope. He  should  then  apparently  take  out  the  card 
from  the  envelope,  but  in  reality  take  the  original  card 
from  the  rear  of  the  envelope  with  his  right  hand. 
He  should  then  with  his  right  hand  press  this  card  on 
top  of  his  head  and  give  the  answer,  while  his  left 
hand  lays  the  opened  envelope  on  the  table  or  music 
box.  In  this  case,  as  soon  as  he  answers  the  question, 
he  should  return  the  card  to  the  manager  with  his 
right  hand,  and  ask  the  manager  to  have  some  boy 
run  with  it  to  its  writer.  After  it  is  returned  to  its 
writer,  the  manager  can  hold  aloft  another  envelope 
and  the  medium  continue  with  the  tests.  After  the 
tests,  the  manager  should  remove  the  torn  envelopes, 
as  they  contain  "dummy"  cards. 


204  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

I  will  now  explain  the  method  pursued  on  the  second 
evening.  After  the  questions  were  written  and  sealed, 
the  manager  went  among  the  spectators  collecting  the 
envelopes  in  a  cloth  bag.  He  first  numbered  the  en- 
velopes, at  the  same  time  instructing  each  spectator 
to  remember  his  number,  after  which  the  envelopes 
were  dropped  into  the  bag.  When  all  the  envelopes 
were  collected,  the  manager  lifted  the  bag  in  the  tips 
of  his  fingers  and  ascended  to  the  stage  with  it  in  plain 
view.  He  quickly  attached  it  to  the  cord  and  drew  it 
up  to  the  ceiling.  So  far  all  was  fair;  but  just  at  this 
moment  a  person  in  the  rear  of  the  hall  made  the 
statement  that  he  desired  to  place  his  envelope  in  the 
bag  also.  The  performer  asked  a  gentleman  on  the 
floor  to  take  the  bag,  which  he  now  lowered  and  de- 
tached, and  to  kindly  go  to  the  gentleman  and  get  his 
envelope.  While  he  was  doing  this  the  manager  held 
the  audience  by  his  discourse.  The  two  gentlemen 
were,  of  course,  paid  confederates ;  and  when  they 
met  behind  the  spectators,  they  merely  exchanged  the 
first  bag  for  a  duplicate  under  the  coat  of  the  rear 
confederate,  who  then  slipped  around  behind  the  stage 
with  the  original. 

When  the  other  confederate  returned  to  the  stage 
with  the  duplicate  bag  and  handed  it  to  the  manager 
he  ran  this  one  up  to  the  ceiling.  This  method  can 
be  varied  by  the  manager  making  the  exchange  under 
his  own  coat  in  the  first  place  when  in  the  rear  of  the 
hall  after  collecting  the  envelopes. 

Meanwhile  an  assistant  behind  the  scenes  opened 
and  copied  the  questions  neatly  on  a  sheet  of  paper, 
and  numbered  each  one.  As  he  did  this  he  slipped 
each  one  into  a  duplicate  envelope,  which  was  also 
numbered  by  the  manager  with  a  ring  drawn  around 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  205 

the  figure.  This  he  sealed.  As  soon  as  all  were  cop- 
ied this  assistant  carefully  drew  the  medium's  Bible 
just  out  of  sight  from  the  table  near  the  flies  where  it 
rested,  inserted  the  sheet  containing  the  copied  ques- 
tions, and  pushed  it  back  into  view  again. 

During  this  time  the  medium  was  walking  slowly 
about  at  the  front  of  the  stage  while  the  manager  de- 
livered his  lecture.  At  the  close  of  the  lecture  the  me- 
dium stepped  back  to  the  table  where  he  had  laid  his 
Bible  a  short  time  before,  picked  it  up  and  came  for- 
ward taking  a  seat  facing  the  audience.  He  next 
opened  the  Bible  and  turned  the  leaves  over  slowly, 
passing  the  sheet  of  paper  and  reading  and  memorizing 
the  first  question  quickly.  He  then  turned  the  leaves 
beyond  this  sheet  of  paper  and  finally  selected  a  verse 
and  began  reading  it  impressively.  As  he  read  this 
verse  he  allowed  the  Bible  to  tilt  forward  sufficiently 
for  the  spectators  to  see  that  there  was  nothing  like  a 
loose  sheet  in  it,  should  such  an  idea  occur  to  any  one. 

As  he  had  turned  over  other  pages  after  secretly 
reading  the  question,  the  sheet  was  hidden  from  view. 
After  reading  the  verse  he  allowed  the  Bible  to  close, 
and  then  closing  his  eyes  gave  the  test  for  number  one. 
After  this  he  again  opened  the  Bible  and  turned  the 
leaves  through  it  slowly,  read  the  second  question 
secretly,  and  finally  found  a  second  verse,  which  he 
proceeded  to  read  in  a  solemn  tone.  He  then  gave 
a  second  test,  and  so  continued  until  all  the  tests  were 
given.  He  then  lay  down  very  much  exhausted,  and 
the  manager  lowered  the  cloth  bag  containing  the 
dummy  envelopes,  and  emptied  them  upon  a  small 
table  near  the  front  of  the  stage.  He  then  stepped  to 
the  rear  of  the  stage  and  picked  up  a  little  wicker 
basket,  into  which  he  scooped  the  dummy  envelopes 


206  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

from  the  small  table  where  they  lay  in  full  view.  He 
now  descended  and  rapidly  returned  the  unopened  en- 
velopes to  their  respective  writers. 

The  basket  is  what  is  known  as  a  ''Billet  changing 
basket."  It  is  lined  with  red  satin  and  is  a  small 
affair  with  straight  sloping  sides.  It  has  a  handle 
which,  when  down,  locks  two  flaps  up  against  the 
sides  of  the  basket.  This  is  done  by  two  little  pro- 
jections on  the  base  ends  of  the  handle.  They  are 
of  wire  and  are  bent  into  such  shape  that  they  project 
downward  when  the  handle  is  down,  and  hold  the  two 
side  flaps  up  against  the  sides.  These  flaps  are  of 
pasteboard,  and  are  covered  with  red  satin  the  same 
as  the  basket  lining.  There  is  a  spring  in  each  flap 
which  closes  it  upon  the  bottom  of  the  basket  when 
it  is  released  by  raising  the  handle.  Envelopes  in  the 
bottom  of  the  basket  are  thus  hidden  and  retained, 
when  the  flaps  are  released,  and  the  duplicates  drop 
into  the  basket,  from  the  sides  where  they  were  con- 
cealed by  the  flaps. 

This  basket  can  be  supplied  by  the  conjuring  depots, 
or  it  can  easily  be  made.  The  handle  can  be  made  of 
wire  and  wrapped  with  raffia  grass  which  is  on  sale 
at  the  department  stores.  A  pasteboard  lining  covered 
with  red  satin  must  first  be  sewed  into  the  basket,  and 
then  two  flaps  of  pasteboard  should  be  hinged  to  a 
pasteboard  bottom  by  pasting  on  a  hinge  of  cloth.  A 
suitable  spring  can  be  made  of  spring  wire  and  sewed 
into  position,  after  which  this  is  all  covered  with  red 
satin  and  placed  in  the  basket.  The  basket  should 
have  sides  about  four  inches  high,  and  the  bottom 
should  measure  about  seven  and  one-half  by  ten  inches. 
The  sides  and  ends  slope  outward,  and  the  basket  is 
open  wicker  work.     Suitable  bows  of  ribbon  on  the 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  207 

ends  of  the  handle  and  corners  of  the  basket  conceal 
the  mechanism. 

In  the  present  instance,  the  assistant  behind  the 
scenes,  after  reading  and  placing  the  questions  in  du- 
plicate envelopes  which  the  manager  had  previously 
numbered,  sealed  them  and  placed  them  in  the  sides 
of  the  basket,  bent  up  the  flaps  into  position,  and  low- 
ered the  handle  locking  them  in  place.  He  now  pushed 
this  basket  into  view  on  a  table  at  the  rear  of  the  stage ; 
and  when  the  manager  was  ready  to  return  the  enve- 
lopes, he  scooped  the  dummy  envelopes  from  the  table 
(where  they  lay  after  the  bag  was  emptied)  into  this 
basket.  He  then  lifted  the  handle  which  released  the 
flaps,  covered  up  the  dummy  envelopes  and  dropped 
the  originals  into  view.  These  he  took  down  and 
quickly  distributed  to  the  writers.  Being  numbered, 
this  could  be  quickly  done. 

*     *     * 

T  will  now  describe  the  method  employed  on  the 
third  evening.  This  time  dummy  envelopes  were  placed 
in  the  sides  of  the  basket,  and  the  handle  left  in  a  low- 
ered position  while  the  operator  gathered  up  the  en- 
velopes. As  the  manager  returned  to  the  stage  he  took 
the  basket  by  the  handle.  This  released  the  dummy 
envelopes,  and  covered  up  the  originals  retaining  them. 
He  emptied  the  dummy  envelopes  upon  the  small  table 
and  then  laid  the  basket  on  a  table  near  the  flies  in  the 
rear,  and  rather  out  of  view.  An  assistant  behind  the 
scenes  took  out  the  original  envelopes,  opened  them, 
and  as  he  read  the  questions  repeated  them  into  a  small 
telephone.  The  wires  from  this  telephone  ran  under 
the  stage  carpet  to  a  pair  of  metal  plates  with  a  tack 
in  the  center  of  each  plate  which  pointed  upward. 
These  plates  were  located  under  certain  spots  in  the 


2o8  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

carpet  and  directly  in  front  of  the  medium's  chair. 
There  were  also  two  other  pairs  of  wires  leading  to 
two  other  positions  on  the  stage.  The  medium  was 
dressed  as  a  *'Mahatma"  on  this  evening,  wearing  a 
large  turban.  A  large  tassel  dangled  by  his  left  ear, 
completely  concealing  a  small  ''watch-case  receiver" 
which  was  attached  to  this  ear.  Two  tiny  wires  led 
from  this  receiver,  inside  his  collar,  down  his  person, 
and  were  connected  inside  his  shoes  to  other  wires 
which  penetrated  the  soles  of  his  shoes.  These  latter 
wires  were  soldered  to  copper  plates  which  were  tacked 
into  position  on  his  shoe  soles.  He  now  took  his  po- 
sition in  the  chair  and  placed  his  feet  over  the  hidden 
tacks,  which  now  contacted  his  shoe  plates,  completing 
the  circuit,  so  that  anything  whispered  into  the  tele- 
phone on  the  stage  was  repeated  in  his  ear.  He  then 
gave  a  few  tests,  tapping  his  spirit  bell,  which  was  a 
signal  for  more  information  from  the  assistant. 

He  soon  grew  nervous  and  walked  away  giving  a 
test  as  he  walked.  He  now  paused  in  a  certain  position 
for  a  moment,  placing  his  hand  to  his  head  as  if  some- 
what dazed  and  tapping  his  bell.  In  this  position  his 
feet  were  again  over  two  concealed  tacks,  and  he  again 
secured  information  for  another  test,  which  he  gave  as 
he  walked  about.  He  now  paused  in  a  third  position 
and  gave  another  test,  after  which  he  returned  to  the 
chair,  continuing  his  work.  This  maneuvering  he  kept 
up,  until  all  the  tests  were  given;  after  which  he  fell 
upon  a  couch  exhausted,  but  with  his  feet  from  the 
spectators. 

The  manager  now  stepped  to  the  rear  of  the  stage 
and  took  the  basket,  which  was  now  in  place  contain- 
ing the  original  (?)  envelopes  behind  the  flaps;  and 
stepping  to  the  small  table  he  scooped  in  the  dummy 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  209 

envelopes;  then  taking  the  basket  by  the  handles,  he 
stepped  down  the  run-way  and  rapidly  returned  the 
unopened  (  ?)  envelopes  to  their  writers.  The  assistant 
had,  of  course,  sealed  the  questions  in  duplicate  en- 
velopes previously  numbered  by  the  manager.  He  had 
placed  these  behind  the  flaps,  and  shoved  the  basket 
into  view  on  a  table  at  the  rear  of  the  stage. 

III. 

I  use  a  variation  of  these  tricks  in  my  double  parlors. 
1  have  made  a  "billet  changing  basket"  as  above  de- 
scribed, and  have  also  made  a  similar  basket  except 
that  it  contains  no  mechanism. 

I  pass  cards  and  envelopes  to  the  spectators  in  the 
front  parlor.  When  the  questions  are  written  and 
sealed  in  the  envelopes,  I  gather  them  up  in  the  mech- 
anical basket;  I  step  to  a  table  in  the  rear  parlor  and 
apparently  empty  them  upon  it.  In  reality,  I  have  just 
raised  the  handle  so  that  the  originals  are  retained, 
and  the  dummy  envelopes  are  emptied  on  the  table 
instead. 

I  now  step  to  an  adjoining  room  for  an  instant,  to 
get  a  small  decorated  screen.  I  secretly  leave  the 
basket  containing  the  original  envelopes  in  this  room 
and  return  with  the  other  basket  in  my  hand  in  its 
place.  I  place  the  small  ornamental  screen  on  the  table 
back  of  the  envelopes,  but  leave  the  envelopes  in  view 
and  request  the  spectators  to  notice  that  I  do  not  go 
near  them  until  I  get  ready  to  give  the  tests.  I  now 
carelessly  lay  the  non-mechanical  basket  on  a  table 
in  the  room  where  the  spectators  are  and  proceed  with 
some  other  tricks. 

Usually  I  give  the  series  of  experiments  described 


2IO  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

in  the  chapter  entitled  "Mediumlstic  Reading  of  Sealed 
Writings."  I  state  to  the  spectators  that  I  will  not  give 
the  tests  for  the  sealed  envelopes  until  later  In  the 
evening. 

Meanwhile,  should  any  one  think  of  such  a  thing, 
he  can  easily  examine  the  little  basket,  which  he  thinks 
I  have  just  used ;  as  It  still  lies  on  the  table  In  the  front 
parlor  with  other  discarded  paraphernalia,  including 
slates,  etc.  I  use  no  assistant;  so  after  a  time  has 
elapsed,  and  when  by  the  performance  of  other  sealed 
readings,  suspicion  has  been  diverted  from  the  tests 
with  the  billets,  my  wife  retires  on  some  trifling  errand. 
While  out,  she  opens  the  envelopes  In  the  basket,  pre- 
pares the  sheet  of  questions,  and  places  It  In  the  Bible ; 
then  she  re-seals  the  questions  in  envelopes  previously 
marked  by  me,  places  them  in  the  sides  of  the  basket, 
raises  the  flaps  and  lowers  the  handle.  She  then 
usually  enters  with  some  light  refreshments  for  the 
spectators,  which  explains  her  absence  with  a  word. 

I  continue  with  other  experiments  for  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  after  her  return ;  then  I  gather  up  my  surplus 
paraphernalia.  Including  the  dummy  basket  and  carry 
all  to  the  room  adjoining  the  back  parlor,  where  I 
leave  it.  I  return  instantly  with  the  mechanical  basket 
which  I  place  near  my  own  table;  and  then  I  give 
another  experiment  of  some  kind. 

I  now  pick  up  the  basket  and  announce  that  I  have 
decided  to  return  to  their  writers,  the  envelopes  on  the 
table  in  front  of  the  screen,  before  attempting  to  give 
the  tests.  I  do  this  as  if  it  were  a  later  notion.  I  now 
scoop  in  the  dummy  envelopes,  and  raise  the  handle, 
which  action  covers  them  up  and  releases  the  originals 
(now  sealed).  I  now  distribute  to  the  writers  their 
envelopes,  which  I  can  do,  as  they  are  numbered  as 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  211 

described  earlier  in  this  chapter.  I  request  each  sitter 
to  hold  his  envelope  until  I  shall  give  his  test.  Then 
I  usually  perform  some  other  little  experiment  before 
giving  the  tests. 

I  now  take  up  my  Bible,  which  I  will  state  I  brought 
into  the  room,  unnoticed,  when  I  returned  with  the 
last  basket.  I  then  seat  myself  and  leisurely  turn  the 
leaves  through  the  Bible,  reading  verses,  and  giving 
the  tests  as  before  described. 

I  always  first  read  a  question  secretly,  and  then  turn 
by  the  sheet  of  paper  and  begin  reading  a  verse  of 
Scripture.  As  I  do  this  I  permit  the  front  of  the  Bible 
to  lower  enough  for  the  spectators  to  see  the  printed 
pages.  This  prevents  suspicion.  Meanwhile,  the  spec- 
tators have  forgotten  that  I  ever  stepped  from  the 
room  at  all  with  the  basket,  and  even  that  my  wife 
retired  for  some  refreshments.  Neither  did  they  notice 
the  Bible  when  I  brought  it  in. 

The  effect  on  each  person,  as  I  call  him  by  name 
and  describe  the  "influence"  of  his  "dear  one,"  giving 
names  and  most  marvelous  information,  is  far  superior 
to  what  it  would  be,  were  I  merely  to  read  the  ques- 
tions literally,  and  give  the  answers. 


IV. 

There  is  another  method  of  working  this  trick, 
which  a  certain  medium  whom  I  know,  used  an  entire 
winter  with  great  success.  He  gathered  up  the  enve- 
lopes in  his  hand ;  and  holding  them  aloft  in  view  of 
every  one,  he  ran  up  to  the  stage  and  laid  the  enve- 
lopes in  full  view  on  a  table. 

Now  without  any  pause,  he  turned  to  the  audience 
and  began  giving  the  tests  in  a  very  marvelous  fashion. 


212  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

He  paid  no  attention  to  the  envelopes  behind  him  on 
the  table,  but  stood  on  the  stage,  moving  about  occa- 
sionally, and  gave  every  test  in  a  very  telling  manner. 

The  secret  lay  partly  in  a  little  move  that  escaped 
the  attention  of  the  spectators.  A  chair  sat  upon  the 
stage,  and  it  was  directly  in  the  path  of  the  medium 
when  he  returned  with  the  billets.  This  chair  he  set 
to  one  side,  just  out  of  view  in  the  flies,  and  quickly 
thereafter  placed  the  envelopes  on  the  table.  The 
move  seemed  so  natural  that  it  attracted  no  notice,  and 
was  immediately  forgotten. 

Now,  on  the  back  of  the  chair,  concealed  from  the 
view  of  the  spectators,  was  what  magicians  call  a 
Card  servante.  This  appliance  consists  of  a  wire  ring 
some  five  inches  in  diameter  upon  which  is  sewed  a 
shallow  cloth  sack.  It  is  fastened  to  the  back  of  the 
top  cross  piece  of  the  chair  so  as  to  hold  the  mouth  of 
the  sack  open  in  a  horizontal  position. 

Extending  vertically  above  this  ring,  and  soldered 
to  it  on  the  side  next  to  the  chair,  is  a  strip  of  brass 
three  inches  long  and  one-half  inch  wide.  This  is 
fastened  to  the  chair  with  a  thumb  screw.  On  this 
strip  of  brass  is  another  strip  riveted  to  it  at  the  bot- 
tom, but  separated  from  the  upper  portion  a  half  inch 
all  the  way  up,  so  as  to  form  what  is  called  a  "clip." 
Into  this  clip,  prior  to  the  performance,  is  slipped  a 
package  of  dummy  envelopes. 

When  the  medium  returns  to  the  stage,  this  chair 
appears  to  be  in  his  way;  so  he  takes  it  with  both 
hands  and  sets  it  into  the  edge  of  the  wings.  The  hand 
containing  the  envelopes  catches  the  top  cross-piece 
of  the  chair  with  the  fingers  of  that  hand  and  the 
envelopes  just  behind  it.  At  this  instant  he  releases 
the  package  of  original  envelopes  and  they  fall  into 


SOME    MODERN    SORCERY.  2I3 

the  open  sack  of  the  servante.  At  the  same  time  he 
grasps  the  package  of  dummy  envelopes  held  in  the 
clip,  and  retains  them  when  he  sets  the  chair  down. 
The  spectators  naturally  suppose  these  dummies  to  be 
the  originals,  still  in  his  hand.  He  lays  them  on  the 
table  and  turns  to  the  audience  and  begins  the  tests. 

While  he  does  this,  an  assistant  in  the  wings  opens 
and  reads  each  question,  and  writes  the  same  quietly 
on  a  large  blackboard  which  faces  the  medium.  The 
blackboard  and  assistant  can  not  be  seen  by  the  spec- 
tators, and  no  thought  of  them  ever  occurs  to  any  one. 
The  medium  has  but  to  glance  at  the  writing,  which  is 
done  in  a  large  hand,  read  each  question,  and  give  the 
tests.  The  assistant  can  again  seal  the  questions  and 
an  exchange  of  them  can  easily  be  effected  after  the 
performance. 


There  is  an  improvement  to  this  trick  when  worked 
in  a  large  hall  that  I  believe  will  prove  thoroughly 
practicable.  If  so,  it  will  do  away  entirely  with  the 
use  of  a  Bible,  blackboard,  or  telephone  wires. 

When  the  manager  returns  to  the  stage  with  the 
sealed  envelopes,  the  medium,  who  is  on  the  stage  in 
full  view,  immediately  begins  giving  tests  while  he 
walks  about.  He  can  even  go  down  the  aisles  and 
give  the  tests  from  any  position  he  may  choose.  While 
in  the  aisle  giving  the  tests  amongst  the  spectators, 
he  need  not  pause  any  more  between  the  tests  than 
was  necessary  in  the  previous  method  on  the  stage. 
There  are  no  visual  signals  whatever. 

If  this  method  prove  practicable,  it  will  be  the  most 
marvelous  performance  of  the  kind  ever  given  on 
earth.     I  am  indebted  for  the  idea  to  my  brother-in- 


214  SOME    MODERN    SORCERY. 

law,  IMr.  Charles  W.  Robbins,  who  is  an  electrical 
engineer  for  the  Western  Electric  Co.  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Robbins  is  well  informed  on  the  subject  of  trickery, 
and  is  quite  a  performer  himself. 

He  suggested  to  me  the  idea  of  doing  away  with  the 
wires  which  I  was  contemplating  should  lead  down 
the  aisles  to  metal  plates  under  the  carpet,  and  to  sub- 
stitute wireless  telephony  in  its  place.  He  thinks  that 
an  apparatus  can  be  concealed  on  the  person  of  the 
medium,  with  wires  leading  to  the  same  "watch-case 
receiver"  on  his  ear.  The  tassel  from  the  turban  can 
conceal  it  if  the  medium  be  a  gentleman,  while  if  a 
lady,  the  hair  can  be  dressed  and  combed  so  low  as  to 
conceal  it  effectually. 

There  will  be  a  telephone  on  the  stage  in  the  rear 
as  in  the  other  case,  and  a  small  wire  will  have  to  be 
laid  entirely  around  the  outer  edges  of  the  hall.  This 
can  be  next  to  the  floor  or  ceiling,  or  it  can  be  buried 
outside. 

He  informs  me  that  words  have  been  sent  inside  a 
court  of  a  size  of  150  by  200  feet,  and  that  he  sees  no 
difficulty  in  designing  this  for  an  ordinary  hall.  The 
mechanism  which  the  medium  is  to  wear  will  doubtless 
require  some  experimenting. 


SOME  UNUSUAL  MEDIUMISTIC  PHE- 
NOMENA. 

IN  the  book  entitled  Psychics:  Facts  and  Theories,  by 
Rev.  Minot  J.  Savage,  at  page  15,  the  following  ac- 
count will  be  found : 

"Soon  I  began  to  hear  raps,  apparently  on  the 
floor,  and  then  in  different  parts  of  the  room.  On  this, 
the  lady  remarked,  simply:  'Evidently  there  is  some 
one  here  who  wishes  to  communicate  with  you.  Let 
us  go  into  the  front  parlor,  where  it  will  be  quieter.' 
This  we  did,  the  raps  following  us,  or  rather  beginning 
again  as  soon  as  we  were  seated.  At  her  suggestion 
I  then  took  pencil  and  paper  (which  I  happened  to 
have  in  my  bag),  and  sat  at  one  side  of  a  marble-top 
table,  while  she  sat  at  the  other  side  in  a  rocker  and 
some  distance  away.  Then  she  said:  As  one  way  of 
getting  at  the  matter,  suppose  you  do  this :  You  knovv 
what  friends  you  have  in  the  spirit  world.  Write  now 
a  list  of  names — any  names  you  please,  real  or  ficti- 
tious, only  among  them  somewhere  include  the  names 
of  some  friends  in  the  spirit  world  who,  you  think, 
might  like  to  communicate  with  you,  if  such  a  thing 
were  possible.'  I  then  began.  I  held  a  paper  so  that 
she  could  not  possibly  have  seen  what  I  wrote,  even 
though  she  had  not  been  so  far  away.  I  took  special 
pains  that  no  movement  or  facial  expression  should 


2l6     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

betray  me.  Meantime  she  sat  quietly  rocking  and  talk- 
ing. As  I  wrote,  perhaps  at  the  eighth  or  tenth  name, 
I  began  to  write  the  name  of  a  lady  friend  who  had 
not  been  long  dead.  I  had  hardly  written  the  first  let- 
ter before  there  came  three  loud  distinct  raps.  Then 
my  hostess  said,  This  friend  of  yours,  of  course, 
knows  where  she  died.  Write  now  a  list  of  places,  in- 
cluding in  it  the  place  of  her  death,  and  see  if  she  will 
recognize  it.'  This  I  did,  beginning  with  Vienna,  and 
so  on  with  any  that  occurred  to  me.  Again  I  had 
hardly  begun  to  write  the  real  name,  when  once  more 
came  the  three  raps.  And  so  on,  concerning  other  mat- 
ters.    I  speak  of  these  only  as  specimens. 

"Now,  I  cannot  say  that  in  this  particular  case  the 
raps  were  not  caused  by  the  toe  joints  of  the  lady. 
The  thing  that  puzzles  me  in  this  theory,  is  as  to  how 
the  toe  joints  happened  to  know  the  name  of  my  friend, 
w^here  she  died,  etc.,  which  facts  the  lady  herself  did 
not  know,  and  never  had  known.'* 

It  has  been  the  writer's  good  fortune  to  witness 
practically  this  same  experiment,  performed  by  a  very 
expert  medium.  Dr.  Schlessinger,  who  was  traveling 
over  the  country  a  few  years  ago. 

I  was  residing  at  that  time  in  Falls  City,  Neb.,  a 
place  of  a  few  thousand  population.  For  two  winters 
I  had  traveled  some  as  a  magician,  so  when  the  me- 
dium came  to  town,  and  began  to  perform  his  miracles, 
certain  members  of  the  community  suggested  having 
me  witness  one  of  his  seances,  thinking  I  would  be 
able  to  discover  whether  his  tests  were  genuine,  or 
whether  they  were  performed  by  the  aid  of  trickery. 
Accordingly,  one  evening,  a  prominent  physician  in- 
vited me,  with  certain  relatives  and  friends,  to  attend 
a  seance  given  in  his  parlors. 


SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA.     217 

When  we  arrived  I  was  introduced  to  the  medium, 
an  elderly  gentleman  with  a  long  white  beard,  and 
wearing  glasses.  He  appeared  to  be  slightly  deaf,  as 
he  placed  his  hand  to  his  ear  and  had  my  name  re- 
peated. He  was  introduced  to  the  remainder  of  the 
tompany  en  masse,  the  names  of  the  visitors  not  being 
given  to  him. 

The  medium  soon  announced  that  "his  mission  on 
this  earth  was  to  absolutely  prove  to  humanity  the 
immortality  of  the  soul."  He  now  offered  to  give 
some  tests  to  those  desiring  it,  and  asked  for  a  small 
table  which  was  placed  in  an  adjoining  room.  He  in- 
variably held  his  hand  to  his  ear,  to  catch  what  was 
being  said,  being  apparently  quite  deaf.  He  also  used 
this  same  expedient  when  listening  to  the  voices  of  the 
unseen  spirits,  and  reporting  their  communications. 

My  father  and  another  gentleman  were  selected  for 
the  first  test,  as  they  were  considered  very  skeptical 
in  such  matters.  As  they  retired  to  a  closed  room  I 
did  not  see  the  experiment,  but  will  give  some  parts 
of  it  as  reported  to  me,  further  on.  In  a  short  time 
they  returned  to  the  parlor,  engaged  in  a  discussion 
over  the  matter;  and  my  father  remarked,  "I  do  not 
know  how  you  got  your  information,  but  I  feel  certain 
it  was  not  from  my  brother,  or  he  would  have  given 
a  certain  point  correctly."  The  medium  then  said, 
"If  I  will  tell  you  where  your  father  died,  and  the 
disease  he  died  of,  will  you  be  convinced  ?"  My  father 
replied,  "I  suppose  I  will  have  to  be,  if  you  can  do 
that." 

They  then  retired,  and  the  medium  succeeded  par- 
tially in  the  experiment;  and  would  have  certainly 
succeeded  entirely,  had  my  father  followed  his  instruc- 


2l8     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

tions.  I  will  describe  what  was  reported  to  me  of  this 
test,  further  on. 

I  now  offered  myself  for  a  test.  I  retired  to  the 
room  with  the  medium,  and  incidentally  offered  him 
one  dollar  and  fifty  cents,  the  same  my  father  had 
given  him ;  but  he  refused  the  money,  saying :  "Your 
father  is  not  convinced,  and  I  will  not  take  any  more 
money." 

He  now  took  a  sheet  of  paper  from  a  tablet,  and 
drew  five  straight  lines  across  it,  spacing  the  sheet  into 
six  spaces  about  equal.  Next  taking  my  hand,  and 
looking  earnestly  into  my  face,  he  said :  "Promise  me 
that  if  I  succeed,  you  will  not  make  light  of  this. 
Promise  me,  for  this  is  very  sacred  to  me."  I  did  so. 
He  now  directed  me  to  write  names  in  the  spaces  on 
the  sheet,  any  names  I  pleased,  writing  but  one  name 
in  each  space.  All  the  names  were  to  be  of  living  or 
fictitious  persons  except  one,  this  one  to  be  the  name  of 
some  one  I  had  known  who  was  then  dead.  He  said, 
"Be  fair  with  me,  and  I  will  scratch  out  the  dead  per- 
son's name."  These  were  his  exact  words,  therefore 
I  in  no  way  tried  to  hide  my  writing  from  him,  al- 
though he  stood  at  a  distance  and  did  not  appear  to 
watch  me.  I  took  a  pencil  and  began  writing  the 
names ;  being  unprepared  I  had  to  think  of  the  names 
I  wished  to  write.  I  desired  to  select  names  of  persons 
living  at  a  distance,  so  that  he  could  in  no  possible 
manner  know  them.  While  I  was  writing  he  talked 
incessantly,  which  in  spite  of  myself  divided  my  atten- 
tion. At  the  same  time  he  kept  urging  me  to  write, 
and  immediately  after  urging  me,  would  begin  talking 
rapidly  on  some  spiritualistic  subject.  I  remember 
saying,  "You  must  give  me  time  to  think."  I  thought 
I  used  great  care,  so  as  to  write  each  name  with  the 


SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA.     2ig 

same  precision,  and  tried  to  betray  no  emotion  when 
writing  the  dead  person's  name.  I  selected  the  name 
"Cora  Holt"  for  the  dead  person's  name.  This  was  the 
name  of  an  aunt  who  had  died  in  another  state. 

As  soon  as  I  had  written  the  names  he  asked  me  to 
cut  them  apart  into  slips,  having  one  name  on  each 
slip.  Now  here  I  do  not  remember  whether  he  folded 
them  himself,  or  had  me  help,  as  I  was  not  expecting 
them  to  be  folded.  However,  we  folded  each  one  into 
a  billet  with  the  writing  inside. 

He  now  directed  me  to  place  them  in  a  hat,  and  to 
hold  the  hat  under  the  table,  take  out  the  billets  one  at 
a  time,  and  throw  them  on  the  table  top.  This  I  did 
while  he  stood  with  his  right  arm  extended  toward  the 
table  and  about  one  foot  above  it.  After  I  had  thrown 
a  few  billets  on  the  table,  as  I  threw  the  next  one,  I 
heard  three  loud  distinct  raps.  He  said,  "There,  that's 
the  one  that  is  dead.  Open  it  and  see  if  I  am  right, 
but  do  not  let  me  see  it.  Fold  it  up  again  and  place  it 
in  your  pocket."  I  opened  the  billet.  I  did  not  know 
what  the  name  would  be,  as  I  had  mixed  them  under 
the  table;  yet  I  had  a  feeling  that  it  was  correct.  I 
opened  it,  and  sure  enough  the  name  was  "Cora  Holt." 
I  refolded  it,  placing  it  in  my  pocket.  I  must  confess 
that  I  felt  a  momentary  creepy  feeling  pass  over  me, 
as  my  emotions  were  wrought  up  to  such  a  pitch  by  the 
intense  manner  in  which  I  had  watched  all  the  details 
of  the  experiment.  I  informed  him  that  he  was  right, 
but  did  not  tell  him  the  name.  He  now  took  my  hand 
in  his,  and  leading  me  into  the  parlor,  had  me  state  to 
the  company  what  had  just  occurred.  Now  placing 
his  hand  on  my  head,  he  said :  "I  will  endeavor  to  give 
you  the  name."  Closing  his  eyes,  his  body  trembled 
or  shuddered  with  a  kind  of  paroxysm,  and  apparently 


220     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

with  a  great  effort  he  pronounced  the  name  *'Cora 
Holt."  This  effort  seemed  to  greatly  exhaust  him, 
and  coming  out  of  his  temporary  trance  he  begged  us 
to  excuse  him,  saying  that  there  were  opposing  spirits 
present  and  he  could  do  no  more  that  night ;  that  he 
had  done  all  for  us  that  lay  within  his  power.  He  now 
took  his  leave. 

This  was  all  very  impressive  to  me  at  the  time,  ex- 
cept the  raps.  It  was  only  afterwards  that  I  thought 
out  the  explanation,  which  I  will  give  further  on.  As 
to  the  raps,  they  had  the  sound  as  of  a  pencil  tapping 
loudly  on  a  thin  strip  of  wood,  or  a  ruler,  and  not  the 
sound  of  tapping  on  a  table.  I  had  previously  known 
of  the  mechanical  and  electrical  rappers,  supplied  by 
certain  conjuring  depots,  and  worn  on  the  person  of 
the  medium,  or  attached  to  a  table.  My  impression 
was  at  the  time  that  possibly  he  had  a  rapper  in  the 
sleeve  of  the  arm  extended  over  the  table,  and  by  di- 
recting the  attention  to  the  table  the  sound  would  ap- 
pear to  come  from  there.  As  I  was  sitting  right 
against  the  table,  I  will  say  that  the  sound  did  not 
appear  to  me  to  come  from  the  table,  but  more  nearly 
from  his  person. 

Referring  again  to  the  test  given  my  father,  the 
medium  first  announced  his  prices,  which  he  would 
accept  if  satisfactory.  This  was  agreed  to  and  paid. 
He  then  had  my  father  write  names  on  paper  in  a 
manner  similar  to  the  way  I  have  described,  except  he 
did  not  request  my  father  to  write  a  dead  person's 
name ;  instead,  he  requested  him  to  write,  among  other 
names,  his  mother's  maiden  name,  his  wife's  maiden 
name,  his  father's  name,  also  the  names  of  certain 
members  of  his  family  and  of  some  of  his  friends, 
some  of  whom  should  be  dead.    This  my  father  did. 


SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA.     221 

Among  the  names  written  by  my  father  was  his 
mother's  maiden  name,  viz.,  ''Celestina  Redexilana 
Phelps,"  a  name  certainly  out  of  the  ordinary.  He 
also  wrote  his  wife's  maiden  name,  his  father's  name, 
his  brother's  name  and  several  other  names — six  or 
eight  altogether. 

When  the  medium  had  the  billets  taken  out  of  the 
hat  he  said,  "You  have  there  the  name  of  your  mother ; 
the  name  is  something  like  'Celestia  (not  Celestina) 
Roxalena  (not  Redexilana)  Phelps,' "  thus  giving 
wrong  pronunciations  to  the  first  two  names.  However, 
when  my  father  opened  it,  sure  enough  it  was  his  moth- 
er's maiden  name.  My  father  now  took  another  billet 
which  had  written  thereon  his  father's  name.  This 
the  medium  gave  correctly,  stating  that  this  was  his 
father's  name.  The  next  billet  had  written  thereon 
the  name  of  my  father's  brother ;  the  name  was  '7^"^^^ 
Asahel  Abbott."  The  medium  then  said :  "Your  brother 
James  is  here,  and  he  says  to  tell  you  that  he  is  happy 
and  that  you  are  making  a  great  mistake  not  to  be- 
lieve." 

Now  this  brother  had  always  been  called  by  his 
second  name  and  not  by  the  name  of  James.  My 
father  said,  "If  you  are  my  brother,  give  me  your  full 
name."  The  medium  replied,  "James  Ash-a-bell  Ab- 
bott," giving  an  entirely  wrong  pronunciation  of  the 
second  name.  This  it  was,  with  some  other  error,  that 
led  to  the  discussion  they  had  on  returning  to  the  par- 
lor, and  in  which  my  father  remarked,  "If  you  get  your 
information  from  the  dead,  they  should  be  able  to 
pronounce  their  own  names  correctly." 

My  father,  not  being  familiar  with  the  methods  of 
trickery,  could  not  with  exactness  give  all  the  minute 
details  of  the  test  as  I  would  have  wished :  and  as  I 


222     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

never  had  an  opportunity  to  see  this  experiment  my- 
self, I  can  only  surmise  the  means  employed  in  its 
production. 

The  second  experiment  with  my  father  had  been  an 
effort  to  tell  the  disease  of  which  my  grandfather  died, 
also  the  place  where  he  died.  The  medium  required 
my  father  to  write  on  the  usual  ruled  paper,  a  name 
of  a  disease  and  also  a  name  of  a  place,  in  each  space, 
that  is,  one  disease  and  one  place  in  each  space.  He 
remarked  in  giving  directions,  '*Like  New  York  mea- 
sles, Philadelphia  smallpox,  etc."  He  required,  how- 
ever, that  my  father  write  in  the  same  space  the  correct 
disease,  and  also  the  correct  place  of  his  father's  death. 
The  remainder  of  the  spaces  w^ere  to  contain  the  names 
of  any  disease  or  any  place  he  might  choose. 

This  my  father  did,  writing  in  one  space  ''Sacra- 
mento dysentery."  This  was  the  correct  disease,  but 
the  city  was  the  place  of  my  grandfather's  burial,  and 
not  the  place  of  his  death,  the  latter  being  a  village 
called  "Hangtown."  The  medium  quickly  gave  dys- 
entery as  the  disease,  and  Sacramento  as  the  place  of 
my  grandfather's  death.  It  was  plain  that  had  my 
father  written  the  village  where  his  father  died,  in- 
stead of  his  burial  place,  the  medium  would  have  suc- 
ceeded. 

This,  however,  proved  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  me- 
dium obtained  his  information  from  the  writing,  and 
not  from  the  spirits  of  the  dead. 
•H     *     * 

After  thinking  the  matter  over,  I  decided  that,  while 
I  was  uncertain  as  to  the  manner  in  which  Dr.  Schles- 
singer  had  performed  all  of  these  experiments,  I  could 
reproduce  two  of  them  with  certainty  as  often  as  he 
did.    I  immediately  made  the  trial  and  found  I  could 


SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA.     223 

succeed  fully  nine  times  out  of  ten  on  an  average.  I 
might  state  that  the  doctor  also  failed  about  one  time 
in  ten  on  an  average;  nevertheless,  the  people  of  the 
community  were  greatly  excited,  talking  of  his  mir- 
acles, in  groups  on  the  streets,  for  some  days.  The 
medium  was  coining  money,  yet  I  found  a  few  cases 
where  he  failed  totally.  The  failures  were  seldom 
mentioned ;  it  was  the  successes  that  excited  the  people. 
The  method  I  use  in  reproducing  the  first  test  given 
me,  is  to  so  direct  the  attention  of  the  subjects  before 
the  writing,  by  my  discourse,  as  to  cause  them  to  se- 
lect unconsciously  the  name  of  the  dead  person  in  ad- 
vance. This  is  easily  managed  with  a  little  practice 
in  talking,  and  still  they  will  never  guess  that  it  is 
done  on  purpose. 

Now,  as  they  begin  to  write,  they  will  naturally 
pause  before  writing  each  name,  to  think  of  a  name 
to  write.  The  pause  may  be  but  slight,  yet  there  is 
some  pause.  Of  course,  when  they  write  the  selected 
name,  no  pause  will  be  necessary;  and  if  hurried 
properly  at  that  time  they  will  make  none.  This  is 
the  object  of  the  incessant  talking  during  the  experi- 
ment. If  left  to  themselves,  the  subjects  will,  in  about 
one-half  of  the  cases,  write  the  selected  name  in  the 
third  space  from  the  top.  In  about  half  of  the  re- 
maining cases  the  selected  name  will  be  written  in 
the  fourth  space  from  the  top.  This  is  especially  true 
if  in  your  instructions  you  direct  the  subject  to  "mix 
the  dead  person's  name  somewhere  in  among  the 
others  where  you  cannot  know  where  it  is."  In  the 
remaining  cases  the  subjects  are  liable  to  write  the 
selected  name  anywhere,  generally  first  or  last.  Now 
my  object  is  to  so  manipulate  my  subjects  as  to  cause 
them  to  write  the  selected  name  when  I  want  them  to 


224     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

do  SO.  This  is  done  by  continuous  talking,  and  dis- 
tracting their  attention  until  the  proper  moment.  I 
choose  the  third  space,  since  this,  being  the  one  they 
are  most  Hable  to  choose  of  their  own  accord,  is  easiest 
to  force.  Just  as  they  begin  to  write  the  first  name, 
before  they  make  a  mark,  I  say  suddenly,  ''Now  be 
sure  and  select  names  of  living  persons  that  I  could 
not  possibly  know."  This  is  almost  certain  to  insure 
a  pause,  and  the  name  of  a  living  person  to  be  written 
first.  I  continue  my  talking  in  a  natural  manner, 
taking  the  attention  to  a  great  extent  from  the  writing, 
and  nearly  always  observing  another  pause  just  before 
writing  the  second  name.  When  the  "second  name  is 
almost  finished  I  exclaim  suddenly,  "Now  write  as 
rapidly  as  possible!"  If  the  subjects  have  been  prop- 
erly impressed  with  the  seriousness  of  the  experiment, 
they  will  almost  invariably,  on  finishing  the  second 
name  (in  obedience  to  my  command  "to  be  as  rapid 
as  possible,"  and  in  their  desire  to  please  me),  hurry 
into  the  name  already  in  their  minds,  thus  writing  the 
selected  name  in  the  third  place.  If  such  is  the  case 
they  will  now  most  surely  pause  to  think  of  a  fourth 
name.  If  so,  I  am  certain  that  I  now  know  the  se- 
lected name.  However,  if  they  should  rapidly  pass 
into  the  fourth  name,  it  is  then  uncertain  whether  the 
selected  name  is  in  the  third  or  fourth  space.  This, 
however,  seldom  happens  if  worked  in  an  expert 
manner. 

In  rare  cases  the  subject  cannot  be  manipulated  by 
the  performer,  in  which  case  it  is  purely  guesswork ; 
even  in  such  cases,  however,  I  stand  one  chance  in 
six  of  succeeding;  and  if  I  make  a  second  trial  on 
failing  (not  uncommon  with  mediums),  I  stand  one 
chance  in  three  of  succeeding. 


SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA.      225 

It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  say  that  as  I  fold  the 
billets,  I  fold  the  third  one  slightly  different  from  the 
rest,  so  that  while  it  will  not  attract  attention,  I  can 
see  at  a  glance  what  it  is  when  thrown  on  the  table. 
I  memorize  the  name ;  also,  if  in  doubt,  I  fold  a  second 
choice  in  a  still  different  manner  for  a  second  trial. 
Frequently  I  memorize  more  of  the  names,  folding 
so  I  can  pick  them  out.  Then,  after  giving  the  dead 
person's  name  with  proper  effect,  I  pick  up  the  others, 
hold  them  to  my  head  and  call  out  the  names.  The 
effect  of  this  on  a  subject  is  very  impressive. 

With  a  little  practice  the  above  test  can  be  given 
with  very  small  chance  of  failure ;  and  in  the  event  of 
making  a  failure  it  can  be  explained  by  the  statement 
that  "there  are  opposing  spirits  present,"  or  some  simi- 
lar excuse.  If  one  has  other  tests  at  his  command,  it 
is  well  in  the  event  of  failure,  to  announce  that  he  will 
try  something  else,  and  then  give  another  test.  As 
these  experiments  are  always  tried  alone  with  one  or, 
at  most,  two  subjects,  a  failure  attracts  little  notice. 

Now  I  can  not  say  positively  that  Dr.  Schlessinger 
performed  this  experiment  in  exactly  this  same  man- 
ner; but  I  do  have  a  recollection  of  his  hurrying  me 
along  in  my  writing  at  some  stage  of  its  progress.  I 
also  know  that  I  can  succeed  as  often  as  he  did.  I  will 
add  further  that  a  few  days  later  I  prepared  six  names 
in  advance,  and,  with  my  wife,  had  a  sitting  with  the 
medium;  this  time,  although  I  paid  him,  he  failed 
utterly.  He  tried  in  every  way  and  had  me  write  ad- 
ditional names.  This  time  I  guarded  the  points  in  the 
above  explanation,  yet  no  matter  how  he  tried,  he  made 
an  utter  failure.  All  tricks  require  certain  conditions, 
and  this  is  why  it  is  not  safe  to  repeat  the  same  trick 
for  the  same  person.    There  is  too  much  danger  that 


226     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

the  snbjest  may  notice  the  sameness  of  the  modus  ope- 
randi. 

Referring  to  the  second  test  which  was  given  by  the 
medium  to  my  father,  I  will  state  that  when  the  sub- 
jects are  writing  the  cities  and  diseases,  they  w^ll 
naturally  pause  after  writing  the  city,  to  think  of  a  dis- 
ease to  go  with  it.  Of  course,  when  writing  the  correct 
ones,  which  are  already  in  mind,  no  pause  will  be  ne- 
cessary. Also  advantage  may  be  taken  of  the  fact  that 
a  small  per  cent,  of  persons  die  of  smallpox  or  measles. 
If  in  giving  the  directions  one  says,  "Write  like  this: 
'Philadelphia  smallpox.  New  York  measles,' "  and  the 
subject  writes  smallpox  or  measles  in  the  list,  it  is  safe 
to  eliminate  that  from  the  case.  This  is  especially  true 
if  written  in  connection  with  some  large  city,  the  name 
of  which  occurs  readily  to  the  mind.  It  is  safe  also 
to  eliminate  Philadelphia  or  New  York  if  these  should 
be  written,  providing  you  mentioned  these  names  in 
the  directions,  and  that  the  test  is  not  being  given  in 
their  section  of  the  country.  A  small  per  cent,  of  the 
people  of  a  country  die  in  any  two  places  of  prom- 
inence. Yet  these  places  will  be  written  readily  by 
most  subjects,  if  they  are  suggested,  or  at  least  other 
places  of  equal  prominence  will  be  written.  If  an 
unusual  place  or  disease  should  be  written,  it  is  almost 
certain  these  are  the  ones. 

It  can  readily  be  seen  how  expert  one  can  become 
at  this  by  continuous  practice,  such  as  a  medium  has 
many  times  a  day ;  how  one  can  learn  to  take  advantage 
of  every  little  point,  and  use  it  with  telling  effect  on 
unsuspecting  strangers,  who  do  not  know  what  is  go- 
ing to  happen,  or  what  to  look  for. 

I  have  been  told  that  Dr.  Schlessinger  had  a  very 
sharp  eye,  although  wearing  glasses;  and   that  the 


SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA.     22^ 

glasses  were  probably  to  make  the  subject  think  it  im- 
possible for  him  to  read  writing  when  they  were  moved 
out  of  position  and  placed  on  the  forehead,  as  they 
were  during  the  tests.  It  has  also  been  suggested  that 
his  poor  hearing  was  feigned,  to  enable  him  to  hear 
remarks  made  about  himself  in  his  presence.  I  have 
suspected  that  his  memory  had  become  trained  to  a 
high  degree  of  accuracy,  enabling  him  to  give  his  tests 
with  such  marvelous  success,  as  he  did  with  nearly  all 
wherever  he  went.  That  he  does  not  use  one  set  of 
principles  only  in  his  tricks,  I  am  certain,  but  has  many 
more  at  his  command  which  he  uses  continually.  How- 
ever, I  can  only  vaguely  guess  at  them  from  having 
seen  his  tests  but  once. 

Now,  I  do  not  say  that  this  was  the  method  em- 
ployed by  the  lady  with  Rev.  Savage,  given  in  the 
account  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter.  But  as  the 
experiments  are  practically  the  same,  it  is  safe  to  con- 
clude that  the  methods  used  are  the  same,  or  nearly 
so.  If  the  test  were  genuine  in  the  case  of  the  lady 
mentioned,  it  was  probably  genuine  in  the  case  of  Dr. 
Schlessinger.  On  the  other  hand,  if  it  were  trickery 
in  one  case,  it  probably  was  in  both. 

Dr.  Schlessinger  gave  other  tests  than  the  one  he 
gave  me.  I  heard  of  them  from  various  sources,  and 
they  seemed  to  be  similar  to  one  of  the  tests  given  to 
my  father.  I  could  only  guess  at  the  method  he  em- 
ployed from  the  descriptions  I  heard.  It  was  quite 
evident  that  he  could  have  a  stranger  write  a  number 
of  names  of  persons  living  or  dead,  relatives,  friends, 
etc.,  in  an  apparently  haphazard  way;  and  that  he 
could  successfully  point  out  or  have  the  "spirits"  point 
out  the  living  from  the  dead,  give  the  correct  relation- 
ship of  each,  etc.    While  doing  this  he  talked  continu- 


228     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

ally  in  a  very  rapid  and  eccentric  manner,  and  seemed 
a  very  strange  person. 

It  was  hard  to  tell  v.hat  his  principles  were,  from 
seeing  a  single  experiment  only  once  ;  but  I  noticed  one 
fact,  and  that  was  that  he,  in  his  incessant  talking, 
w^ould  direct  the  sitter  to  wTite  a  name,  contradict  him- 
self in  a  very  eccentric  manner,  order  the  subject  to 
ask  him  a  question,  then  answer  with  a  rising  inflec- 
tion before  the  subject  could  ask  it,  and  then  again 
contradict  himself  in  a  very  peculiar  manner.  All  of 
this  seemed  so  strange  and  unusual  that  one  could 
hardly  tell  by  what  subtle  art  he  gained  his  informa- 
tion. 

Fortunately,  a  magician,  Mr.  C.  S.  Weller,  had  an 
opportunity  to  see  this  performance ;  and  I  am  in- 
debted to  him  for  a  description  of  it.  I  will  say,  how- 
ever, in  Mr.  Weller's  own  w^ords,  'This  talk  stuff  is 
very  difficult  to  describe  intelligibly  on  paper."  If 
one  could  only  have  an  expert  stenographer  to  take 
down  the  discourse  of  the  doctor,  with  all  the  excla- 
mations and  unusual  inflections,  it  would  be  a  subject 
well  worthy  of  study  afterwards ;  and  the  method 
would  then  appear  very  plainly.  The  difficulty  lies  in 
the  impossibility  of  quoting  from  memory  the  exact 
words  and  modes  of  expression  used  by  him,  in  his 
expert  conversational  tricks. 

The  substance  of  the  account  which  follows  I  quote 
from  Mr.  Weller: 

^:         Hi         * 

"To  exactly  describe  my  experience,  I  was  requested 
to  WTite  the  names  of  relatives,  friends,  or  any  names 
of  living  or^dead  persons.  He  divided  the  paper  into 
not  more  than  seven  sections.  In  each  section  I  wrote 
a  name,  and  in  one  section  I  wrote  mv  own.     The 


SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA.     229 

paper  was  then  divided,  by  placing  the  same,  face 
down  on  the  edge  of  the  table ;  and  each  section  was 
cut  off  with  a  knife  and  rolled  into  a  billet.  I  did  all, 
or  nearly  all  of  the  preparing. 

"During  the  time,  and  while  names  were  being  writ- 
ten, the  medium  retired  to  the  farther  part  of  the 
room,  remarking,  'I  beg  you  not  to  let  me  see  what  you 
write — Promise  me  you  will  not  tell  me — Oh!  I  am 
so  nei*vous — This  work  is  so  very  trying  on  me,  etc' 

"After  the  billets  were  prepared  he  successfully 
selected,  (by  the  aid  of  his  spirit  guide,  Levi),  first, 
the  living  from  the  dead.  Then  he  selected  the  name 
of  a  friend,  'who  was  nothing  more  than  a  friend' ; 
a  sweetheart  *who  was  no  longer  a  sweetheart,'  etc. 
Levi  at  first  failed  to  make  the  table  rap,  and  con- 
veyed the  information  by  whispering;  at  least  so  it 
appeared,  for  the  medium  held  his  hand  to  his  ear, 
listening  intently,  to  sounds  ( ?)  which  I  could  not 
hear. 

"He  also  selected  the  name  of  an  uncle  and  the  name 
of  an  aunt  'who  had  just  gone  over.'  This  aunt  sent 
a  message  ending  with  these  words:  'Charlie,  I  am 
watching  over  you ;  be  good,  be  true ;  investigate  and 
know  the  truth.'  The  medium  then  continued,  'Char- 
lie— Charlie  Weller — that  is  your  name — Please  heed 
this  message  from  your  aunt,  etc'  This  last  came 
from  the  medium  direct,  and  furnished  in  an  effective 
way  a  dramatic  manner  for  introducing  my  name.  He 
properly  described  five  out  of  six  or  seven  names,  as 
will  be  seen.  There  was  no  sleight-of-hand,  no  im- 
pression or  anything  of  the  kind ;  merely  a  mental 
trick,  and  one  that  has  deceived  many  and  has  pro- 
duced a  very  great  effect  on  the  most  intelligent  per- 
sons. 


230     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

**i  will  now  describe  the  performance  a  little  more 
fully,  giving  such  explanations  as  have  occurred  to 
me.  The  tests  were  given  in  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  in 
1903. 

"There  was  a  company  of  some  twenty  persons 
gathered  to  witness  the  tests,  each  person  paying 
fifty  cents.  The  medium  explained  that  he  would  not 
have  time  to  give  each  person  a  test;  and  asked  that 
two  be  chosen,  a  lady  and  a  gentleman,  to  'form  a 
battery.'  A  lady  was  duly  chosen;  and  I  (thanks  to 
a  friend),  was  chosen  on  the  other  end  of  the  'battery.' 
We  were  accompanied  by  the  host,  who  was  self- 
appointed,  and  retired  to  another  room. 

'The  medium  took  two  sheets  of  paper,  and  divided 
them  with  lines  drawn  across  as  previously  described. 
As  nearly  as  I  can  recall,  the  lady  was  handled  in 
about  the  same  manner  that  you  were.  There  was  one 
difference,  however.  In  a  spell  of  apparent  nervous- 
ness, the  medium  retired  for  a  drink  of  water,  secretly 
taking  one  of  the  lady's  billets  with  him.  The  self- 
appointed  witness  followed  him.  The  medium  dis- 
missed this  witness,  asking  him  to  inform  the  com- 
pany that  he  would  give  them  a  test  soon.  He  then 
gave  the  lady  some  little  information,  making  a  mis- 
take as  to  relationship,  and  dismissed  her. 

"Then  he  asked  me  to  write  some  names  on  my 
paper.  After  I  had  written  two  or  three,  he  said: 
'Do  not  neglect  to  include  the  name  of  a  departed 
person.'  At  the  time,  I  had  a  distinct  feeling  that  my 
action  showed  by  the  manner  in  which  I  began  writ- 
ing again,  that  I  had  not  previously  written  the  name 
of  a  departed  person. 

"I  did  not  know  whether  I  was  to  write  one,  two, 
or  a  hundred  names.     Each  time   I  wrote  a  name 


SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA.     23I 

(thinking  I  was  through)  /  had  a  feeling  of  a  com- 
pleted task.  He  would  then  urge  me  to  write  an- 
other name,  and  say,  'Can't  you  think  of  another 
name — an  uncle — aunt — father — sister — or  friend?'  By 
watching  my  eyes,  he  could  tell  as  soon  as  I  had  fixed 
my  mind  on  a  name,  and  would  know  with  consider- 
able certainty  whether  it  was  an  aunt,  or  uncle,  etc. 
This  is  based  on  the  same  principle  as  a  certain  card 
trick,  and  one  can  be  certain  that  it  can  be  worked. 

"After  I  had  written  four  or  five  names,  which  ow- 
ing to  his  constantly  talking  and  directing  me,  I  had 
a  hard  time  to  select,  he  suddenly  said,  'You  have  in- 
cluded your  own  name?  Don't  tell  me.  At  least  write 
some  more  names.  I  will  not  look.  Promise  me  you 
will  not  let  me  see  what  you  have  written.  Oh !  I  am 
so  nervous ;  this  work  is  so  trying  on  me,  etc'  All 
of  this  spoken  in  a  very  eccentric  and  excitable  manner. 
I  wrote  the  other  name,  which  of  course  he  knew  was 
my  own,  for  the  reason  that  if  I  had  already  written 
my  own  name,  I  would  not  have  written  another.  Also 
because  I  started  to  answer  his  question  when  he 
stopped  me, 

"So  far,  he  knew  the  location  on  the  paper  of  the 
name  of  one  departed  person,  who,  by  his  suggestion, 
he  was  reasonably  certain  was  an  aunt.  He  knew  my 
own  name  was  the  last  written,  or  next  to  the  last.  He 
could  tell  which  was  which,  by  the  way  I  dashed  off 
my  own  name,  and  by  the  slight  hesitation  I  made 
when  writing  the  other. 

"Further,  by  watching  me  write,  he  knew  nearly  all 
of  the  names.  The  few  he  had  not  learned,  he  famil- 
iarized himself  with  when  he  showed  me  how  to  pre- 
pare the  billets.  By  the  shape  of  each  billet,  or  the 
principal  ones,  he  knew  the  names  on  them.    He  next 


22^2     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

asked  me  to  select  a  billet  and  directed  me  to  look  at 
it.  Then,  following  the  direction  of  the  raps,  or  the 
inaudible  whispers  of  his  guide,  he  would  either  direct 
me  to  lay  it  down,  or  would  say  for  instance,  'It  is  an 
aunt/  This  in  tone  and  inflection  a  partial  statement, 
likewise  a  question. 

*Tf  he  was  right,  my  eyes  would  light  up,  and  I 
would  start  to  nod  my  head.  If  he  was  wrong,  I 
would  try  to  keep  my  face  a  blank.  By  watching  my 
expression,  he  knew  whether  he  was  right  or  wrong. 
He  could  then  either  say,  'Yes,  it  is  an  aunt' ;  or  placing 
his  hand  to  his  ear,  'Levi!  Tell  me! — No,  it  is  not  an 
aunt.' 

"Here  is  another  example:  When  I  opened  another 
billet  he  would  speak  like  this:  'This  is  an  uncle — 
grandfather?  Levi!  Tell  me!'  Or  he  would  ask  the 
raps.  If  this  did  not  show  him,  he  would  say,  'Don't 
tell  me — I  mean  for  you  to  ask  me,  is  it  the  name  of 
an  uncle  and  so  on,  but  include  in  your  question  the 
right  relationship.'  Then  I  would  repeat  a  list,  as 
'uncle  ?  aunt  ?  mother  ?  friend  ?'  etc.,  but  naturally  would 
not  mention  the  right  relationship  until  I  had  run  out 
of  questions. 

"By  this  system  of  watching  me,  of  'forcing'  and 
suggesting  names,  of  mentally  retreating  and  advan- 
cing, of  asking  questions  which  were  asked  in  such 
manner  that  at  the  time  I  did  not  fully  realize  he  was 
questioning  me,  but  felt  that  I  was  doing  the  asking, 
he  gained  the  principal  amount  of  his  information,  and 
soon  knew  the  different  names  and  in  what  relationship 
they  stood  to  me. 

"During  all  of  the  time  I  felt  I  was  unintentionally 
aiding  him ;  but  I  could  not  prevent  myself  from  a  nod 
of  the  head,  a  brightening  of  the  eyes,  or  an  involun- 


SOME    UNUSUAL   MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA.     233 

tary  start,  etc.  Not  until  later  could  I  determine  what 
he  had  really  done. 

"As  yet  he  had  told  me  very  little.  Now  he  asked 
me  to  pick  up  the  billets,  count  them,  and  lead  him  into 
the  other  room. 

"There  he" put  the  billets  into  a  hat  and  had  some  one 
else  take  them  out,  while  he  closed  (?)  his  eyes.  Then 
it  was  that  he  picked  out  the  names  of  uncles,  aunts, 
friends,  sweethearts,  etc.  He  stated  which  were  the 
departed  ones,  and  got  the  message  mentioning  my 
name.  He  also  told  the  lady  several  impressive  things. 
One  thing  I  should,  however,  mention.  After  he  had 
told  the  lady  some  few  things  in  the  first  instance  and 
while  he  was  absent  getting  the  drink  of  water,  she 
discussed  with  me  whether  he  was  right  or  wrong. 
She  also  told  me  some  facts  regarding  names,  part  of 
which  he  repeated  when  he  gave  the  tests  before  the 
company. 

"Every  one  was  impressed  that  he  was  quite  deaf, 
and  also  that  he  could  not  see  well  without  his  glasses. 
I  am  sure  his  hearing  and  vision  were  both  excellent ; 
and  that  he  could  read  writing  upside  down,  or  read 
it  by  merely  watching  the  writer  covertly  while  he  was 
writing. 

"When  he  divided  the  paper  on  the  edge  of  the  table, 
he  first  laid  it  face  downwards ;  but  in  folding  over 
each  name  to  cut  it  off  with  his  knife,  this  brought 
such  name  into  view,  although  the  paper  was  face 
downward. 

"Let  me  repeat  that  the  questioning  was  all  done  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  subject  was  not  aware  that  he 
was  questioned.  The  medium  was  very  expert,  clever, 
and  subtle  in  his  work.    He  also  gave  us  a  'Vision  of 


234     SOME    UNUSUAL    MEDIUMISTIC    PHENOMENA. 

Jesus  Christ,'  which  was  supposed  to  be  a  sermon  in- 
spired by  the  great  Jewish  Reformer. 

"All  of  this  possibly  sounds  like  child's  play ;  but  I 
want  to  say  that  it  was  very  effective  and  most  start- 
ling, both  to  myself  and  the  company.  I  experienced 
the  'cold  shivers.'  This  gentleman,  by  his  clever  pres- 
entation of  the  work  which  I  have  here  very  poorly 
described,  greatly  mystified  the  most  intelligent  persons 
all  over  this  Western  country,  and  made  a  greater  im- 
pression on  them  with  it  than  did  anything  of  the  kind 
that  had  ever  occurred  in  their  history.  At  the  best 
I  can  only  faintly  convey  the  idea  of  the  effects  he 
could  produce,  and  of  the  almost  impossible  things  he 
could  accomplish  with  this  conversational  art.  The 
reader  must  remember  that  he  had  grown  so  expert 
that  he  was  very  rapid  in  the  work,  although  it  takes 
so  long  to  describe  it.  This  rapidity  added  an  effect 
of  its  own." 


MATERIALIZATION. 

I  HAVE  referred  elsewhere  in  this  work  to  the  above 
subject.  I  will  here  give  a  little  additional  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  it. 

Where  the  medium  works  alone  he  generally  uses 
the  luminous  costumes  previously  described ;  but  when 
he  has  confederates  who  impersonate  the  spirits,  this 
is  unnecessary,  as  is  also  such  complete  darkness.  Let 
us  suppose  that  the  medium  works  from  a  cabinet.  He 
first  allows  strangers  to  erect  and  at  the  same  time  to 
thoroughly  examine  it.  Next  he  is  taken  into  the  cab- 
inet and  thoroughly  disrobed  by  a  committee,  and  his 
clothing  is  examined.    Then  the  committee  retires. 

The  medium  has  a  gentleman  assistant  who  stays 
with  the  spectators  during  the  seance.  This  gentle- 
man now  steps  in  front  of  the  cabinet  and  makes  a 
short  talk  to  the  spectators  in  regard  to  the  conditions 
to  be  maintained  during  the  seance.  While  he  is  talk- 
ing, he  is  standing  directly  in  front  of  the  closed  cab- 
inet curtains,  and  close  to  them.  Under  the  tail  of  his 
coat,  behind,  is  a  small  load  of  luminous  silk  forms, 
faces,  hands,  costumes,  and  two  pencil  reaching-rods. 
The  medium  slips  his  hands  secretly  through  the  cur- 
tains and  removes  this  load,  taking  it  into  the  cabinet. 

The  assistant  now  has  the  lights  put  out,  and  seats 
himself  in  the  front  row  with  the  ardent  believers  who 
help  to  see  that  conditions  are  not  disturbed. 


236  MATERIALIZATION. 

The  lights  being  out,  the  medium  can  emerge  with 
a  luminous  costume  on  his  person,  and  with  two  other 
forms  supported  by  the  extended  reaching-rods ;  so 
that  in  the  darkness  there  appear  to  be  three  persons 
who  come  out  of  the  cabinet.  These  the  medium  can 
move  about  at  his  pleasure  and  two  of  them  float  up 
into  the  air  on  the  ends  of  the  invisible  rods. 

The  medium  can  then  retire  into  the  cabinet,  and 
push  out  a  number  of  hands  and  faces  on  the  ends  of 
the  rods.  After  the  manifestations,  there  is  always 
considerable  time  taken  up  in  waiting  for  more  mani- 
festations, before  the  believers  conclude  that  all  is  over 
for  the  night.  This  gives  the  medium  time  to  conceal 
the  costumes,  which  go  into  a  very  small  space,  and  he 
can  also  telescope  the  rods  and  conceal  them.  As  he 
has  been  previously  disrobed,  he  would  not  think  of 
submitting  to  the  humiliation  of  a  second  examination 
after  the  seance. 

In  case  the  medium  be  a  lady,  she  has  these  costumes 
and  rods  in  a  hollow  belt  which  is  worn  around  the 
waist  next  to  the  skin.  The  ladies  are  invited  into  the 
cabinet  to  disrobe  her  and  dress  her  in  their  own  cloth- 
ing. Now  for  "modesty's  sake"  the  medium  retains 
a  black  underskirt  on  her  person  until  she  is  dressed 
in  the  committee's  clothes.  Then  she  reaches  under 
her  skirts  andHoosens  the  black  under-skirt  and  re- 
moves it.  She  then  lifts  the  other  skirts  as  high  as 
possible,  showing  the  committee  the  bare  skin  and 
that  she  wxars  no  other  clothing.  In  this  manner  the 
hollow  belt  escapes  detection.  The  usual  method, 
where  this  means  is  not  resorted  to,  is  for  a  secret 
confedereate  to  slip  the  load  to  the  medium  after  the 
lights  are  lowered  and  before  the  medium  enters  the 
cabinet. 


MATERIALIZATION.  237 

In  some  cases  the  medium  submits  to  being  tied  in 
a  chair  in  the  cabinet  after  the  disrobing  process,  and 
the  ends  of  the  rope  are  passed  out  to  a  committee 
that  hold  them.  The  feet  are  roped  and  tacked  to  the 
floor.  I  will  not  describe  the  means  by  which  the 
medium  escapes  from  these  ties  as  there  are  so  many 
books  published  explaining  the  various  rope  ties.  How- 
ever, it  is  very  easy  for  an  artist  in  this  line  to  escape 
and  perform  the  usual  manifestations. 

In  some  instances  the  medium  is  placed  in  a  large 
wire  cage  and  the  same  is  screwed  to  the  floor.  No  cab- 
inet is  used  in  such  cases.  After  the  lights  are  put  out 
the  medium  pushes  the  hands,  faces,  and  forms  on  a 
reaching-tube  through  the  cage.  Some  of  them  are 
made  of  fine  rubber  and  are  blown  up  through  this 
tube. 

Where  a  hall  is  used,  sometimes  the  instant  the  lights 
are  put  out  a  spirit  appears  on  the  stage  and  then 
vanishes.  In  this  case  there  is  a  tube  under  the  floor ; 
and  the  rubber  form  is  blown  up  out  of  this  tube,  with 
a  bellows,  and  then  sucked  back.  The  lights  are  turned 
on  instantly  and  the  hall  stage  is  seen  to  be  vacant. 

Many  mediums  prefer  to  use  the  various  traps  and 
sliding  panels  for  admitting  confederates,  who  im- 
personate the  spirits.  The  best  trap  is  the  one  in  the 
ceiling  described  elsewhere  in  this  work.  I  know  of 
a  medium  who  took  rooms,  and  materialized  simply 
by  having  the  spirits  enter  through  a  door.  The 
cabinet  was  erected  in  front  of  this  door,  and  his  var- 
ious "spooks"  came  in  through  the  door  into  the 
cabinet,  and  then  out  of  the  cabinet  into  the  room 
where  were  the  believers.  This  was  in  Omaha  and  it 
did  very  well  for  a  few  nights;  but  many  grew  sus- 
picious. 


238  MATERIALIZATION. 

The  landlady  now  went  away  for  a  short  visit,  leav- 
ing the  medium  in  charge  of  her  home.  The  medium 
then  decided  that  as  she  was  gone,  he  would  take  ad- 
vantage of  her  absence  and  cut  a  trap  in  the  baseboard 
of  the  room.  He  hired  a  cabinet  maker  and  did  the 
work  in  the  daytime.  Now,  during  the  materializing, 
the  believers  all  usually  sang  loudly,  such  old  hymns 
as  "Shall  We  Gather  at  the  River."  This  was  sup- 
posed to  aid  the  ''dear  departed"  in  materializing.  One 
quite  prominent  young  man  of  this  city  had  been  play- 
ing "spook"  for  the  medium,  and  he  happened  along 
as  the  trap  was  being  cut.  He  was  quite  portly  built, 
so  the  medium  had  him  creep  through  the  opening  to 
see  if  it  were  large  enough.  It  was  almost  too  small, 
and  he  got  fastened  in  rather  tightly,  and  could  not  of 
himself  get  out.  Just  at  this  moment  another  comical 
young  man  appeared,  who  had  also  been  impersona- 
ting for  the  medium.  He  looked  down  and  saw  his 
portly  friend  half-materialized  through  the  trap  and 
"stuck"  there.  He  did  not  say  a  word  but  simply  be- 
gan singing,  "Shall  We  Gather  at  the  River."  Me- 
diums and  their  confederates  have  many  a  joke  at  the 
expense  of  the  believers  whose  money  they  are  en- 
joying. 

Detective  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  of  the  Chicago 
Police  Department,  in  a  published  report,  speaking  of 
a  materializing  seance  which  he  attended,  says: 

"I  attended  a  seance  and  seized  a  'spirit.'  When 
I  grasped  the  ghost  I  felt  the  rotund  form  of  a  woman 
who  squirmed  like  an  eel.  When  the  lights  were  put 
up  I  found  that  my  prisoner  was  dressed  like  a  man. 
Her  face  was  smeared  with  white  paint. 

"Attached  to  a  pole  in  front  of  her  was  a  paper  head 
around  which  was  a  white  shroud  four  feet  in  length. 


MATERIALIZATION.  239 

Those  in  attendance  believed  this  image  to  be  the  spirit 
of  a  behever's  dead  relative.  The  'mediums'  had  spook 
images  of  men,  women  and  children  and  could  produce 
them  as  circumstances  demanded.  The  light  was 
turned  up  and  the  contemptible  imposition  on  credul- 
ity was  exposed  to  twenty-six  dupes,  who  had  been 
paying  one  dollar  apiece  for  the  privilege  of  attending 
meetings  of  the  spook  grafters  for  years.  It  was  the 
greatest  expose  of  'spooks'  that  has  been  made  in  many 
years.  A  wagon-load  of  masks,  wigs,  false  whiskers, 
tin  horns,  gowns  with  safety  pins  in  them,  skulls  and 
skeletons  with  cross  bones  to  match  were  seized." 
*     *     * 

There  was  a  medium  who  gave  some  very  success- 
ful seances  in  Omaha  a  few  years  ago,  as  a  ''Material- 
izing Medium." 

The  audience  could  examine  his  cabinet  and  himself 
thoroughly,  then  lock  the  only  door  to  the  room  and 
keep  the  key  themselves,  besides  bolting  the  door  on 
the  inside.  The  sitters  would  now  form  a  circle  about 
the  room,  holding  hands  and  guarding  the  door. 
Nevertheless,  as  soon  as  the  lights  were  lowered,  the 
medium  came  from  his  cabinet,  leading  numerous 
spirits.  Parents  recognized  their  children ;  and  one 
fond  parent  still  has  a  withered  flower  which  money 
cannot  buy,  given  by  the  spirit  of  a  dead  child.  The 
medium  took  the  town  by  storm,  carrying  three  thou- 
sand dollars  away  with  him  in  a  short  time ;  yet  his 
spirits  were  produced  in  the  simplest  manner. 

He  had  trained  children  in  costumes  in  an  adjoining 
room.  There  was  a  trap  in  the  base  board  running 
along  the  wall  of  the  room.  This  trap  was  behind  the 
curtains  of  his  cabinet.  Through  this  the  children 
entered  and  retired  at  the  proper  time.    As  they  hooked 


240  MATERIALIZATION. 

the  movable  part  of  the  base  board  with  strong  hooks 
to  the  studding  from  the  room  where  they  were  con- 
cealed, and  as  there  were  dummy  nails  in  this  board 
apparently  holding  it  in  place,  the  audience  could  not 
discover  but  that  it  was  perfectly  solid.  In  the  room 
where  the  children  were  concealed,  the  base  board  was 
held  in  place  by  door  knockers  which  were  screwed 
through  it  into  the  studding.  When  time  came  to  per- 
form, the  children  unscrewed  the  base  board  on  their 
side,  letting  it  down ;  now  unhooking  the  other  board, 
they  entered  through  the  opening  into  the  medium's 
cabinet.  After  the  experiment  the  children  hooked 
the  base  board  in  place  and  screwed  the  second  board 
in  place  on  their  side  of  the  wall;  then  with  their 
make-up  material  they  made  their  escape  to  other  ap- 
partments,  leaving  the  door  open  in  a  natural  manner. 
During  this  time  the  spectators  were  examining  the 
medium,  his  cabinet  and  the  room  again,  and  telling 
each  other  of  the  "dear  one"  they  had  recognized, 
while  the  medium  sat,  exhausted,  recovering  from  the 
weakening  effects  of  his  recent  ''trance." 


Probably  the  greatest  swindle  ever  perpetrated  in 
the  name  of  spiritualism,  was  recently  brought  to  light 
In  Stockton,  California.  The  medium  and  his  con- 
federates materialized  everything  from  frogs  and  small 
fish  to  a  huge  boulder  of  gold  quartz  weighing  sev- 
eral hundred  pounds.  This  latter  had  to  be  brought 
from  the  mountains  with  a  mule  team. 

The  materializing  was  done  through  sliding  panels 
in  the  walls,  while  the  believers  sat  holding  hands 
about  the  opposite  side  of  a  table,  and  loudly  singing 
sacred  hymns.     They  had  the  only  door  to  the  room 


MATERIALIZATION.  24I 

locked  and  sealed,  and  never  dreamt  that  the  spirits 
who  brought  the  quartz  from  the  mine  were  mules. 

Thousands  of  dollars  were  invested  in  this  "spirit 
mine,"  the  believers  stacking  their  money  on  the  quartz 
as  it  lay  on  the  table  at  a  dark  seance,  and  receiving 
deeds  in  return  for  their  money,  which  the  spirits  de- 
materialized. 

The  medium  established,  or  had  his  spirits  establish, 
a  "Treasury  of  Heaven"  for  the  faithful  to  deposit 
their  money  in,  and  on  which  they  were  to  receive  fifty 
per  cent,  interest.  This  interest  the  believers  contin- 
ued to  receive  at  dark  seances  from  the  spirits  for  a 
time.  Each  sitter's  interest  was  found  on  the  table 
stacked  in  front  of  him  when  the  lights  were  lighted. 
When  the  spirit  bank  became  insolvent  and  the  chief 
medium  disappeared,  the  believers  were  out  about 
thirty-five  thousand  dollars. 

No  less  a  personage  than  a  millionaire  of  Tacoma, 
Washington,   is   said  to  have   contributed   largely  to 
this  spirit  fund.     I  had  known  of  this  case  for  some 
time  before  the  exposure  (conducted  by  a  performer 
engaged  for  the  purpose),  and  knew  that  certain  inter- 
ested persons  were  contemplating  bringing  it  about, 
in  order  to  rescue  certain  estimable  persons  from  the 
clutches  of  these  mediums.    This  was  successful ;  and 
the  confederates  of  the  medium  signed  written  con- 
fessions in  the  presence  of  one  of  the  most  devout 
of  the  believers,  and  a  gentleman  who  is  otherwise 
very  intelligent.    Upon  this  the  gentleman  was  greatly 
crestfallen,  but  he  still  insists  that  there  are  certain 
mediums  who  are  not  impostors ;  and  that  certain  me- 
diums  in   Chicago   who   produce ,  spirit   portraits   are 
genuine. 

A  full  and  very  interesting  account  of  this  exposure 


242  MATERIALIZATION. 

is  given  in  the  San  Francisco  Examiner  of  March  3 
and  4,  1907. 

I  could  report  enough  cases  of  materialization  to 
fill  a  volume.  These  I  know  of,  from  various  sources, 
and  in  every  case  they  were  invariably  fraudulent.  I 
will  give  a  short  account  of  a  materialization  which 
a  very  expert  medium,  who  is  on  friendly  terms  with 
me,  witnessed.  The  gentleman  was  originally  a  min- 
ister, and  afterwards  began  investigating  spiritualism, 
as  he  was  a  believer  in  it.  He  hoped  to  become  a  me- 
dium ;  and  at  one  time  paid  two  lady  mediums  of  some 
renown,  who  reside  in  Chicago,  three  dollars  a  sitting 
for  three  sittings  a  week.  These  sittings  were  con- 
ducted for  the  purpose  of  developing  this  gentleman 
in  mediumship.  He  continued  this  for  a  long  time, 
but  was  no  nearer  to  being  a  medium  than  he  was  in 
the  beginning. 

At  one  time  he  detected  one  of  the  sisters  passing 
a  slate  to  the  other,  and  substituting  another  in  its 
place.  He  saw  the  edge  of  one  of  the  slates  pro- 
truding from  behind  the  dress  of  one  of  the  sisters. 
They  never  knew  they  were  discovered  as  he  said 
nothing,  but  this  "opened  his  eyes."  After  this  he 
investigated  everywhere,  and  at  every  opportunity,  and 
grew  to  be  a  very  expert  medium  himself. 

Recently,  when  in  Los  Angeles,  he  visited  a  seance 
conducted  by  a  medium  who  claimed  to  be  a  Buddhist 
priest.  This  medium  was  known  under  the  name  of 
"The  Reverend  Swami  Mazzininanda."  He  had  an 
altar  in  his  home,  constructed  something  like  those 
in  Roman  Catholic  churches.  He  had  various  candles 
and  images  on  this  altar,  including  an  image  of  Bud- 
dha, and  also  a  number  of  mystical  figures.     It  was  a 


MATERIALIZATION.  243 

great  mixture  of  "fake"  Buddhism,  Roman  Catholi- 
cism, and  modern  spirituaHsm.  The  medium  also 
wore  the  costume  of  a  Buddhist  priest  at  his  seances. 

This  "priest"  held  services  here  for  the  faithful.  He 
conducted  all  in  Hindoostani(  ?),  his  native  tongue. 
He  chanted,  prayed  to  Buddha,  etc.,  all  in  a  queer- 
sounding  "gibberish."  Certain  evenings  of  the  week 
were  devoted  to  "soul-travel,"  and  certain  evenings 
after  the  religious  services  a  "Black  Chapter"  was  held. 

The  gentleman  whom  I  have  mentioned  attended 
one  of  these  dark  seances.  He  sat  with  other  spec- 
tators around  the  room  in  perfect  darkness.  The  spec- 
tators were  not  required  to  hold  hands,  so  great  was 
their  faith.  Finally,  in  the  darkness,  a  queer-looking, 
vapory,  luminous  form  floated  around  in  the  air  and 
paused  in  front  of  the  spectators.  My  friend  slipped 
down  quietly  on  his  knees,  and  gradually  worked  closer 
and  closer  to  the  luminous  form,  until  he  could  detect 
that  the  vapor  was  a  kind  of  luminous  "cheese  cloth." 
He  did  not  desire  to  expose  this  "priest,"  but  he  de- 
sired to  have  the  "priest"  know  that  some  one  had  dis- 
covered him.  My  friend  accordingly  took  hold  of  the 
gauze  and  gave  it  a  very  slight  downward  jerk.  He 
then  immediately  returned  quietly  to  his  seat. 

There  was  an  immediate  pause  in  the  discourse  of 
the  "priest,"  who  had  really  been  floating  this  form  on 
the  end  of  a  stick.  ■  Every  one  knew  that  something 
had  happened,  but  no  one  but  my  friend  knew  what  it 
was.  The  "priest"  then  said  in  his  slow,  peculiar,  ec- 
centric and  measured  tones,  "I  have  received  a  very 
great  shock ;  and  I  will  be  unable  to  continue  further 
this  evening."  The  next  day,  when  in  conversation 
with  some  of  the  "faithful,"  this  "priest"  stated  in  his 
peculiar  maimer  of  speaking,  and  with  intense  earnest- 


244  MATERIALIZATION. 

ness,  that  which  follows :  "Last  night  I  received  a  very 
great  shock.  I  was  just  in  the  middle  of  the  'Dark 
Chapter'  and  the  spirit  of  the  Master,  Krishna,  was 
out.  Having  spent  the  greater  portion  of  my  life  on 
the  Himalayas,  my  right  eye  has  become  injured  by  the 
snows."  Then  pointing  to  his  right  eye,  he  added, 
"My  right  eye  has  a  defect  in  it  which  you  can  not  see ; 
but  on  account  of  that,  I  can  only  see  in  the  dark  with 
it.  I  immediately  turned  my  right  eye  downward  and 
I  looked!  I  distinctly  saw  a  lady's  hand  reached  out 
towards  my  robe  in  the  darkness,  and  this  hand  took 
hold  of  it  and  jerked  it  lightly  just  like  this."  The 
"Reverend  Swami"  here  illustrated,  by  slightly  jerk- 
ing his  coat  downward.  It  was  very  amusing  to  hear 
him,  in  great  seriousness,  relate  this  in  his  low  and 
measured  accents  to  his  faithful  followers. 

Shortly  after  this,  when  the  Los  Angeles  Herald 
was  conducting  a  crusade  against  the  numerous  me- 
diums of  that  city,  and  when  it  had  an  exhibit  in  its 
windows  of  the  confiscated  material  of  some  of  them, 
this  "Buddhist  priest"  was  arrested  and  imprisoned  for 
some  of  his  practices. 


THE  RELATION  OF  MEDIUMSHIP  TO 

PALMISTRY,  ASTROLOGY,  AND 

FORTUNE-TELLING. 

THERE  is  one  feature  of  mediiimistic  work  which 
can  not  be  taught  to  any  one,  but  depends  entirely 
on  the  natural  tact  and  the  personality  of  the  medium. 
This  is  what  is  known  to  professionals  as  the  ability 
of  a  medium   to  give  a  reading.     This   consists   in 
adroitly  revealing  to  the  subject  many  things  that  ap- 
pear to  fit  into  his  life.     It  is  the  capacity  for  shrewd 
guessing,  and  of  adapting  one's  revelations  to  the  re- 
plies and  conversation  of  the  sitter,  so  as  to  impress 
him  with  the  idea  that  the  medium  possesses  a  mys- 
terious and  occult  power  of  seeing  remote  and  hidden 
events  in  the  former's  life  and  of  reading  the  future.  ^ 
If  a  medium  be  very  expert  at  this,  as  sometimes  is 
the  case  where  he  has  had  long  and  continued  prac- 
tice, it  is  unnecessary  to  resort  to  any  trickery  other 
than  this.  In  such  cases  the  medium's  patrons  tell  such 
marvelous  tales  of  what  has  been  foretold  to  them, 
that  such  medium  will  do  a  thriving  business  in  one 
place  for  years  and  will  never  be  caught  in  any  trick. 
Mediums,   when   speaking  of   each   other,   frequently 
make  such  remarks  as  "She  could  give  an  excellent 
reading,"  or,  "She  never  could  give  a  very  good  read- 
ing," etc.    They  rate  the  standing  of  each  other  by  the 


246     RELATION   OF   MEDIUMSHIP   TO   PALMISTRY^  ETC. 

ability  of  each  to  give  a  reading.  This  is  the  very 
foundation  of  all  mcdiumistic  work,  and  tricks  are  but 
an  accessory  to  the  art. 

This  same  power  or  ability,  is  the  underlying  feature 
of  palmistry,  of  modern  astrology,  and  of  fortune- 
telling.  The  underlying,  and  in  fact  the  principal, 
feature  of  all  of  these,  and  of  mediumship  as  generally 
practiced,  is  absolutely  this  same  iinteachable  thing. 
This  forms  the  ground  work,  as  it  were,  of  the  whole 
business,  and  can  be  acquired  only  by  continued  prac- 
tice. In  the  practice  of  the  business,  necessity  develops 
this  faculty. 

There  is  a  demand  among  a  certain  class  of  persons 
for  fortune-telling  under  a  modern  name,  and  they 
will  pay  for  it  at  any  time  they  can  get  it.  There  will 
always  be  those  who  will  avail  themselves  of  this  de- 
mand, for  the  purpose  of  making  a  living  out  of  it. 
The  reader  will  doubtless  have  little  idea  of  the  number 
of  persons  following  this  profession.  Detective  Clif- 
ton R.  Wooldridge  of  the  Chicago  Police  Department 
in  a  published  report  says,  "War  against  the  swind- 
lers, impostors,  and  blackmailers  who  operate  in  Chi- 
cago under  the  guise  of  clairvoyants,  trance  mediums, 
astro-psychics,  palmists,  magicians,  and  fortune-tellers, 
of  whom  there  are  about  1500  in  Chicago,  is  being 
vigorously  prosecuted." 

Many  mediums  combine  palmistry  with  their  work, 
but  this  class  of  "workers"  do  not  pander  to  the  gen- 
uine spiritualists,  who  accept  spiritualism  as  a  religion 
or  philosophy.  One  medium  told  me  that  it  would 
surprise  me  to  know  the  number  of  persons  who  come 
to  them  and  want  their  assistance  in  love  matters,  in 
unearthing  buried  treasure,  in  forecasting  the  future, 


RELATION  OF  MEDIUMSHIP  TO  PALMISTRY,  ETC.    247 

etc.  In  fact,  the  most  of  their  money  comes  from  this 
class  of  persons. 

I  am  acquainted  with  a  young  medium  who  com- 
bines palmistry  with  mediumship,  and  I  shall  give  a 
little  further  on,  the  method  which  he  constantly  uses 
with  great  success.  He  at  all  times  has  in  his  pos- 
session a  large  number  of  cards  bearing  the  questions 
and  names  of  his  patrons,  which  these  latter  wrote 
out;  and  who  now  think  that  the  cards  were  burned. 
These  frequently  contain  confessions  and  even  ques- 
tions so  indiscreetly  worded  as  to  reveal  to  the  reader 
the  innermost  secrets  of  the  writers'  lives.  It  would 
be  a  great  surprise  to  any  one  to  read  over  a  number 
of  these  signed  questions. 

This  medium  presented  me  with  a  collection  of  these 
original  cards,  that  are  as  interesting  as  a  romance. 
I  will  not  quote  any  of  the  more  interesting  or  amusing 
ones  for  certain  reasons,  but  I  will  quote  one  question 
or  set  of  questions  which  reveals  the  "fortune-telling" 
ability  required  of  a  medium.  These  questions  were 
written  by  one  of  the  most  intelligent  of  the  medium's 
patrons  who  had  been  a  school  teacher  for  twenty 
years.    I  will  omit  the  names  for  obvious  reasons. 

"Three  different  men  within  two  months  have  given 

me  attention, of  Boone, of  Sioux  City, 

and  of  Ogden.     Which   one   loves  me  and 

which  should  I  cultivate?  Will  be  my  hus- 
band, and  will  he  be  kind  to  me  ?    Does admire 

me,  and  are  his  attentions  of  a  pure  character?  What 
shall  I  do  next  year? 

signed  " ." 

The  above  is  quoted  literally  and  the  original  is  in 
my  possession.     It  will  be  seen  that  these  questions 


248    RELATION  OF  MEDIUMSHIP  TO  PALMISTRY,  ETC. 

(like  most  of  the  others)  should  more  properly  have 
been  addressed  to  a  fortune-teller. 

Before  giving  the  method  of  the  medium  above 
referred  to,  I  will  state  that  he  makes  out  a  chart 
for  each  patron.  He  has  the  blanks  printed  and 
mounted  in  a  tablet,  and  he  fills  out  one  of  these  for 
each  sitter.  I  will  first  describe  the  chart.  The  sheets 
are  eight  and  one-half  by  eleven  inches.  The  left 
half  of  the  lower  half,  contains  the  chart,  while  the 
right  half  of  the  same  contains  the  name(?)  of  the 
medium.  The  upper  half  of  the  sheet  is  left  blank, 
and  on  this  the  medium  prepares  a  likeness  of  the 
sitter's  palm.  This  is  done  in  the  following  manner: 
The  medium  has  a  vessel  on  the  table  containing  some 
cold  cream,  such  as  is  used  for  chapped  hands.  He 
first  rubs  some  of  this  over  his  own  right  palm.  Next 
he  takes  the  sitter's  hand  and  rubs  his  right  palm 
over  it  until  it  becomes  coated  with  a  small  amount 
of  the  cold  cream. 

He  now  spreads  the  chart  over  the  head  of  an  ordi- 
nary tambourine,  and  has  the  sitter  place  his  palm  on 
the  upper  portion  of  the  chart,  to  spread  the  fingers, 
and  press  the  palm  tightly  down  on  this  sheet.  While 
the  sitter's  palm  is  on  the  sheet  the  medium  outlines 
the  hand  and  fingers  with  a  lead  pencil.  The  sitter 
now  removes  his  palm,  leaving  the  outlines  of  the 
hand  on  the  paper  defined  by  the  pencil  marks. 

Next,  the  medium  takes  a  small  brush  or  pepper 
box,  and  dusts  over  this  impression  of  the  hand, 
some  Prussian  blue,  a  powder  which  he  usually  has 
in  a  vessel  on  the  table.  The  blue  powder  adheres  to 
the  cold  cream  and  then  the  paper  is  dusted  off.  There 
will  be  found  to  be  an  exact  impression  of  the  sitter's 


RELATION   OF   MEDlUMSlilP   TO   PALMISTRY,  ETC.     249 

palm  on  the  paper,  with  every  "hue"  defined  very  ac- 
curately. 

Here  is  a  copy  of  the  blank  form  printed  in  the 
lower  left  corner  of  the  chart : 

"birth  MONTH. 
YOUR    life's    harmony. 

Your  Lucky  Figure  is  ....  or  any  number 
that  can  be  divided  by  it. 

Your  Lucky  Day  is  

Your  Lucky  Stone  is  

Lucky  Year 

Your  Lucky  Months  are  

Direction  of  Journeys  You  Will  Take  and 
the  year  taken   

Your  Lucky  Color  is   

You  will  positively  live  to  be years 

of  age,  and  probably years  older, 

unless  you  commit  suicide.  This  is  your 
Creator's  design,  printed,  promised,  and 
guaranteed  in  your  hand. 

(Should  you  call  again,  please  bring  this  hand  with 
you  as  it  will  then  cost  you  nothing.)" 

I  shall  now  describe  how  this  young  medium  and 
palmist  gives  his  readings.  He  has  each  sitter  write 
on  a  card  a  number  of  questions  which  the  latter  de- 
sires to  have  answered,  and  he  also  has  the  subject 
sign  his  or  her  name  to  them.  These  are  white  cards 
of  a  size  of  three  by  four  and  a  quarter  inches. 

The  writing  is  done  on  one  side  only,  and  the  card 
is  folded  each  way  with  the  writing  inside.  It  is  thus 
about  one  and  one-half  by  two  inches  in  size.  The 
patron  sits  at  a  table  while  preparing  this,  and  then 
the  medium  approaches  the  left  side  of  the  subject. 
He  reaches  and  takes  the  subject's  card  in  his  right 
fingers  and  proceeds  to  grasp  the  other  end  of  it  with 


250    RELATION   OF   MEDIUMSHIP   TO   PALMISTRY,  ETC. 

his  left  fingers.  Now  just  as  he  does  this,  he  leans 
forward,  looking  intently  into  the  eyes  of  the  sitter, 
and  asks,  ''Now  my  dear  madam,  did  you  write  your 
name  on  this  card?"  He  does  this  so  earnestly  and 
intently,  that  no  one  can  help  glancing  into  his  face 
and  answering.  At  the  instant  that  the  sitter  glances 
up  he  quickly  draws,  with  his  left  thumb,  the  original 
card  back  into  the  left  palm,  and  pushes  a  duplicate 
forward  into  his  right  fingers.  This  move  does  not 
require  a  second ;  and  just  as  the  sitter  answers,  the 
medium  brings  the  right  fingers  containing  the  sit- 
ter's (?)  card  up  against  his  forehead.  He  shudders, 
and  then  turning  his  right  side  towards  the  sitter, 
places  the  card  against  the  sitter's  forehead,  and  asks 
the  sitter  to  place  his  palms  against  the  medium's 
right  hand  and  his  own  forehead.  At  this  time  his 
left  hand  goes  into  his  left  pocket  on  his  side  away 
from  the  sitter,  to  get  a  match  with  which  to  burn  the 
card;  and  he  secretly  leaves  the  question  card  in  his 
left  pocket. 

He  brings  out  the  match  and  says,  "I  will  burn  this 
question."  Suiting  his  action  to  the  word,  he  strikes 
the  match  and  lights  the  dummy  card,  placing  it  on 
a  dish  where  it  burns  to  ashes. 

Next,  the  medium  prepares  the  impression  of  the  sit- 
ter's hand,  before  described,  which  operation  greatly 
interests  the  latter.  Just  as  he  finishes  the  preparation, 
he  takes  the  sheet  in  his  right  hand,  and  holding  it 
near  the  bare  floor,  dusts  off  the  surplus  powder. 
Now  as  he  does  this  his  left  hand  secretly  gets  from 
his  left  pocket  the  original  question.  When  the  chart 
is  dusted  off,  he  passes  it  into  his  left  hand  front  side 
to  the  left,  and  grasps  it  with  the  left  fingers  con- 


RELATION  OF  MEDIUMSHIP  TO  PALMISTRY,  ETC.    2$! 

taining  the  card  under  the  sheet.     The  card  is  now 
effectually  concealed. 

The  medium  now  goes  to  his  chair  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  table,  2ind  with  his  right  hand  takes  from 
the  table  a  small  "blotter  pad,"  with  leather  corners 
for  slipping  blotters  into.  This  pad  is  such  as  is 
used  for  holding  a  blotter  on  an  office  desk  to  prevent 
the  latter  from  becoming  scratched,  but  this  pad  is 
of  the  exact  size  of  the  chart  sheet.  He  brings  this  pad 
into  a  vertical  position  in  front  of  him,  and  then  with 
his  left  hand  inserts  the  corners  of  the  chart  under  the 
leather  corners  of  this  pad.  The  pad  of  course  pre- 
vents the  sitter  seeing  the  sheet,  as  well  as  the  con- 
cealed question  card.  He  inserts  the  card  in  one 
corner,  opening  it  out.  He  now  appears  to  study  the 
hand-impression  for  a  while,  meanwhile  secretly  read- 
ing the  question  and  memorizing  it.  During  this  time 
he  fills  in  an  occasional  blank  on  the  chart,  and  asks 
the  sitter  certain  questions  relative  to  the  date  of  his 
birth  and  such  matters.  Having  now  thoroughly 
memorized  the  question  and  name,  the  medium  takes 
the  pad  in  his  left  fingers  and  draws  out  the  chart 
sheet  with  his  right  fingers. 

His  left  fingers  keep  the  card  under  the  leather 
holder  across  the  corner.  He  then  turns  the  pad  upside 
down,  laying  it  on  the  table  naturally,  and  then  lays 
the  chart  on  this  and  finishes  filling  it  out.  As  the  pad 
is  inverted,  the  card  is  under  it  and  can  not  be  seen. 
The  medium  fills  out  the  chart  and  hands  it  to  the 
sitter.  The  pad  being  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
table  from  the  sitter,  and  having  the  concealed  question 
under  it,  is  out  of  the  sitter's  reach. 

While  the  sitter  reads  his  chart,  the  medium  takes 
up  a  city  directory  and  gathers  what  information  he 


252    RELATION  OF  MEDIUMSHIP  TO  PALMISTRY^  ETC. 

can  from  it.  He  knows  the  subject's  name;  and  in 
some  of  the  smaller  cities  the  directories  furnish  much 
information,  even  giving  the  various  marriage  licenses 
issued,  v^ith  their  dates  and  other  details.  As  the 
medium  has  removed  the  backs  or  cover  from  this 
directory  and  put  on  it  the  back  from  a  book  on 
"Mental  Psychics,"  or  something  of  the  kind,  he  can 
open  this  book  without  creating  a  thought  of  suspi- 
cion in  the  mind  of  the  subject.  Now,  laying  his  book 
of  "Mental  Psychics"  on  his  pad,  he  goes  around  to 
the  sitter,  and,  grasping  the  latter's  hand,  gives  a 
splendid  reading ;  elaborating  on  his  knowledge  of  the 
sitter,  giving  the  latter's  name,  occupation,  etc.,  and 
answering  all  of  his  written  questions  in  detail. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  practical  and  best  methods 
of  giving  a  reading  in  existence.  This  secret  has  never 
been  published  before,  is  unknown  to  the  dealers,  and 
has  never  been  sold. 


PERFORMANCES  OF  THE  ANNIE  EVA 
FAY  TYPE. 

I  HAVE  recently  met  a  medium  who  for  some  years 
traveled  with  a  lady  giving  stage  performances  of 
the  Annie  Eva  Fay  variety.  In  this  performance  the 
spectators  write  questions  which  they  desire  answered, 
sign  their  names,  and  retain  them.  A  lady  who  sits 
on  the  stage  calls  out  the  names  of  the  respective 
writers,  answering  their  questions  in  detail  without 
seeing  them.  The  spectators  usually  write  on  paper 
which  is  on  tablets  furnished  by  the  company;  but 
sometimes  they  write  on  their  own  paper,  or  bring 
their  questions  with  them,  having  written  them  at 
their  own  homes  before  leaving.  Sometimes  the  lady 
answers  some  question  that  some  spectator  did  not 
write,  but  of  which  he  is  simply  thinking.  She  also 
sometimes  locates  lost  or  stolen  articles. 

The  tablets  furnished  the  spectators  to  write  on, 
have  the  surface  sheet  on  which  they  are  to  write, 
divided  into  four  sections ;  and  each  section  is  partly 
torn  off,  as  if  marking  where  each  spectator  is  to 
tear  off  his  slip  after  writing  his  question.  Among 
the  spectators  there  are  a  number  of  attendants  who 
distribute  the  tablets,  each  in  his  own  section  of  the 
house ;  and  after  the  writing  they  gather  them  up.  In 
gathering  up  these  tablets,  the  attendants  pass  around 


254    PERFORMANCES  OF  THE  ANNIE   EVA  FAY  TYPE. 

from  aisle  to  aisle  in  the  rear  of  the  audience,  where 
they  secretly  exchange  them  for  ''dummy"  tablets 
which  are  then  carried  down  and  deposited  in  a  pile 
on  the  stage  near  the  foot-lights.  The  originals  are 
sent  around  secretly  under  the  stage. 

The  tablets  are  prepared  as  described  elsewhere  in 
this  work,  by  having  a  sheet  in  each  tablet,  which  has 
its  under  surface  coated  with  white  wax.  The  gentle- 
man referred  to  had,  at  each  performance,  to  develop 
a  large  number  of  questions  in  a  very  short  space  of 
time.  Usually  some  two  dozen  tablets  were  passed 
to  the  spectators,  and  generally  four  questions  were 
written  on  the  surface  sheet  of  each  tablet.  As  each 
spectator  tore  of¥  his  section  of  the  surface  sheet  after 
writing,  no  two  impressions  were  ever  superposed. 

He  always  places  the  prepared  sheet  in  the  tablet, 
so  as  to  be  the  third  sheet  below  the  surface  sheet, 
on  which  the  spectators  are  to  write.  It  transfers  a 
good  impression  to  the  sheet  next  under  it  neverthe- 
less, and  the  spectators  in  retaining  their  questions 
have  in  their  possession  only  unprepared  paper.  The 
prepared  sheet  can  thus  be  used  over  and  over  again ; 
and  it  might  be  called  a  "white  carbon"  sheet,  as  it 
practically  takes  the  place  of  an  ordinary  carbon  sheet. 

This  gentleman  uses  a  paper  that  is  fairly  highly 
glazed,  but  nothing  like  the  paper  known  as  "onion 
skin."  Neither  is  it  very  transparent  or  porous.  A 
proper  paper  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  but  he 
could  not  tell  me  the  best  make  to  use.  He  could 
not  find  the  variety  he  prefers  in  this  city,  but  he 
found  some  that  works  nicely.  This  is  stamped  on 
the  tablet,  "The  King's  Crown."  He  prefers  to  use 
undiluted  paraffin  wax.  He  takes  a  large  cake  of  it 
and  trims  oflf  the  hard  surface  smoothly,  then  holds 


PERFORMANCES  OF  THE  ANNIE  EVA  FAY  TYPE.    255 

the  cake  over  a  lighted  lamp  for  a  moment,  moving  it 
about  until  the  mere  surface  of  the  wax  is  very 
slightly  softened.  He  now  rubs  this  over  one  surface 
of  the  sheet  while  it  rests  on  a  smooth  surface.  He 
applies  considerable  pressure ;  and  after  rubbing  it 
thoroughly  he  takes  an  ordinary  ''case  knife"  and 
scrapes  off  all  surplus  wax.  He  now  again  rubs  the 
sheet  over  lightly  with  the  cake  of  wax,  and  then 
smooths  it  up  by  rubbing  with  his  palm.  He  does 
this  until  he  gets  a  fine  surface  that  no  one  can  tell  is 
prepared. 

This  sheet  he  places  in  position  in  the  tablet,  fasten- 
ing it  with  library  paste.  The  older  it  gets  the  better 
it  works,  as  the  wax  gets  harder  with  age.  He  gives 
the  hardness  of  this  wax,  as  his  reason  for  preferring 
it  to  spermaceti  wax.  This  sheet  gives  a  fine  im- 
pression of  the  writing  and  I  must  say  it  works  splen- 
didly. 

He  prefers  plumbago  to  any  of  the  powders  for 
developing.  He  says  this  is  on  account  of  the  weight 
of  it,  as  this  feature  causes  it  to  adhere  to  the  wax 
better.  He  also  prefers  this  powder  because  it  slips 
off  the  paper  so  easily,  leaving  the  sheet  perfectly 
clean  except  where  the  wax  impression  is.  He  has 
a  vessel  under  the  stage  containing  the  plumbago.  He 
takes  each  impression  sheet,  and  holding  it  over  this 
vessel  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  pours  a  large 
spoonful  of  the  powder  on  its  top  portion.  The  pow- 
der runs  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  sheet,  falling  back 
into  the  vessel.  The  sheet  is  left  perfectly  clean,  ex- 
cept the  writing  is  now  very  plain.  Sometimes  he 
mixes  a  little  powdered  charcoal  in  the  plumbago, 
when  he  can  not  get  a  black  variety  of  the  latter.  This 
is  merely  to  blacken  the  powder  more,  and  the  plum- 


256    PERFORMANCES  OF  THE  ANNIE  EVA  FAY  TYPE. 

bago  gives  it  the  weight.  His  impressions  are  much 
plainer  than  the  original  writing ;  and  I  must  say,  after 
witnessing  him  develop  some  of  these,  that  I  prefer  his 
method  to  any  other.  He  can  develop  all  of  the  sheets 
and  hand  them  to  a  confederate  at  a  telephone  in  a 
period  of  five  minutes. 

The  man  at  the  telephone  reads  the  questions  and 
names  into  it.  This  latter  is  connected  to  two  ordi- 
nary wire  nails  that  are  driven  through  the  stage  floor 
from  above.  The  lady  on  the  stage  has  a  receiver 
such  as  telephone  operators  use,  (with  the  head  portion 
removed)  concealed  under  her  hair,  which  is  dressed 
low  with  two  curls  over  the  former.  Wires  from  it 
lead  down,  under  her  clothing  through  her  shoes  to 
copper  plates  on  their  soles.  She  merely  places  a  foot 
on  each  nail  head  when  she  takes  her  seat,  and  she 
thus  hears  all  of  the  questions  and  names  distinctly. 
This  method  is  superior  to  the  original  method  wherein 
the  lady  was  enveloped  with  a  sheet  which  reached  to 
the  floor,  and  then  a  speaking  tube  was  pushed  up 
through  the  floor,  under  the  sheet,  to  a  position  near 
her  ear.  It  is  also  superior  to  the  "foot  telegraph," 
which  has  been  employed  on  occasions. 
r^     ^-     ^ 

Sometimes,  during  the  performance,  the  lady  reads 
questions  which  the  subjects  wrote  on  their  own  paper. 
This  is  called  by  some  performers  ''reading  the  house 
questions"  for  the  reason  that  the  writers  of  the  ques- 
tions frequently  write  them  at  their  own  houses. 

When  an  attendant  sees  a  spectator  in  "his  section  of 
the  house,"  either  with  a  "house  question"  in  his  hand, 
or  in  the  act  of  writing  one  on  his  own  paper,  this 
spectator  is  immediately  "spotted."  The  attendant 
now  secretly  learns  this  person's  name  from  the  local 


PERFORMANCES  OF  THE  ANNIE  EVA  FAY  TYPE.     257 

manager,  or  from  some  other  prominent  person.     He 
sends  it  around,  together  with  the  spectator's  occupa- 
tion, if  possible.     A  directory  is  also  handy  under  the 
stage  and  this  is  consulted ;  and  the  name,  and  all  in- 
formation is  telephoned  up  to  the  lady  on  the  stage. 
Now,  during  the  performance,  as  the  lady  answers 
each  spectator's  question,  an  attendant  steps  to  this 
person;  and  \vhile  the  lady  is  reading  and  answering 
it,  he  says  to  the  spectator,  "Let  me  see  if  she  gets  it 
right."     He  generally  takes  the  question  out  of  the 
spectator's  hand  for  an  instant,  and  then  returns  it. 
Now,  when  the  lady  begins,  by  calling  the  name  of  the 
writer  of  a  ''house  question,"  an  attendant  immediately 
steps  to  this  person  and  either  catches  a  glimpse  of 
the  question,  or  asks  to  see  it  as  in  the  other  cases. 
If  he  takes  it,  he  instantly  returns  it.     IMean while  the 
lady  on  the  stage  has  given  the  spectator  his  name,  has 
told  him  his  business,  and  has  given  him   some  whole- 
some advice,  etc.    She  seems  to  have  difficulty  in  read- 
ing his  question,  however,  and  the  floor-manager  di- 
rects her  to  "go  to  something  else  and  not  to  keep  the 
audience  waiting,  but  to  come  back  to  this  question 
later."    This  she  does. 

Now  this  attendant  has  in  his  right  coat  pocket  a 
small  tablet  and  pencil.  With  his  hand  in  this  pocket, 
he  secretly  writes  the  spectator's  question  on  a  sheet, 
tears  it  off  and  folds  it  up  so  it  is  small.  He  is  usually 
in  the  rear  of  the  aisle  while  doing  this.  The  floor- 
manager  now  happens  ( ?)  to  pass  him,  and  he  secretly 
passes  this  copy  to  the  latter.  The  floor-manager  next 
passes  down  the  aisle  to  the  foot  lights  and  allows  his 
right  hand  to  rest  on  the  stage  just  back  of  the 
"dummy"  tablets.  Here  there  is  a  slight  crack  in  the 
floor  through  which  he  secretly  slips  the  question  to 


258    PERFORMANCES  OF  THE  ANNIE  EVA  FAY  TYPE. 

a  confederate  under  the  stage,  while  he  is  addressing 
the  audience  in  relation  to  what  the  lady  is  doing. 

In  a  short  time  the  lady  states  that  this  former  spec- 
tator seems  to  keep  coming  to  her,  that  "she  can  not 
get  him  out  of  her  mind,"  and  that  she  "gets  the  im- 
pressions that  he  wants  to  know  so  and  so,"  according 
to  what  his  question  is.    She  now  answers  it  for  him. 

Sometimes  there  is  a  "run-down"  from  the  stage, 
and  in  such  cases  the  floor-manager  allows  his  hand 
to  rest  carelessly  on  it  while  talking  to  the  spectators. 
In  such  cases  there  is  a  confederate  concealed  under 
the  "run-down"  who  receives  the  question  when  the 
floor-manager  secretly  slips  it  through  a  crack  in  the 
former,  and  he  passes  it  on  to  the  man  at  the  tele- 
phone. 

Some  performers  still  use  the  old  prepared  pads  that 
have  a  carbon  sheet  concealed  within  them,  but  I 
think  the  method  given  here  is  the  very  latest.  The 
lady  soon  learns  the  nature  of  the  majority  of  the  ques- 
tions asked,  and  can  thus  frequently  mention  questions 
that  certain  persons  in  the  room  are  "thinking  of  and 
have  not  even  written."  This  always  makes  a  "big 
hit" ;  and  then,  when  some  confederate  in  the  audience 
who  has  been  paid  to  lose  some  valuable  at  some  defi- 
nite place,  receives  an  answer  to  his  query  telling  him 
where  it  can  be  found,  and  a  committee  goes  out  and 
finds  it,  the  reputation  of  the  performer  is  made  and 
the  performance  is  well  attended  after  that. 

It  would  surprise  many  to  know  how  many  really 
intelligent  persons  take  these  performances  seriously. 
A  lady  has  recently  given  a  "two  weeks  stand"  with 
this  performance  in  Omaha,  and  has  packed  her  hall 
regularly.  An  attorney  in  my  block  had  his  "house 
question"  read  and  is  very  enthusiastic.     He  assures 


PERFORMANCES  OF  THE  ANNIE  EVA  FAY  TYPE.    259 

me  that  his  question  never  left  his  hands  at  all ;  but 
I  know  that  it  did,  for  I  am  well  acquainted  with  the 
lady's  manager,  and  know  her  "system"  well.  The 
receiver  which  she  wears  is  held  in  position  just  above 
her  ear  until  the  manager  blindfolds  her.  He  then 
secretly  draws  it  down  over  the  ear  together  with  the 
hair  covering  it,  and  binds  it  there.  When  he  takes 
off  the  bandage  it  is  drawn  back  in  place  by  some  con- 
cealed elastic. 


VEST  TURNING. 

SOMETIMES  when  a  medium  is  left  in  a  cabinet 
with  his  hands  tied  together  and  the  knots  sealed, 
his  vest  will  be  found  to  be  turned  wrong  side  out 
under  his  coat  when  the  manifestations  are  over. 

Also,  when  a  subject  is  left  in  a  cabinet  with  a 
medium  and  his  hands  are  tied  behind  him  and  sealed, 
the  subject's  vest  is  sometimes  turned  wrong  side  out 
under  his  coat,  neither  coat  or  vest  being  removed. 

This  at  first  sight  seems  impossible ;  but  it  is  as 
simple  as  "working"  a  toy  puzzle.  I  will  first  explain 
how  to  turn  a  gentleman's  vest  when  his  hands  are 
tied  behind  him. 

A  gentleman  should  be  selected,  if  possible,  who  is 
not  too  heavily  built,  one  whose  coat  and  vest  are  not 
made  of  too  heavy  material,  and  that  fit  loosely ;  as 
with  these  the  work  can  be  done  more  rapidly.  After 
the  subject's  hands  are  tied  together  behind  him,  the 
medium  steps  behind  the  subject,  and,  taking  his  coat 
by  the  collar,  draws  it  down  and  from  over  his  shoul- 
ders so  that  it  is  entirely  removed  from  his  body,  and 
is  merely  supported  by  his  two  arms  which  pass 
through  the  two  sleeves.  Next  the  vest  is  brought  into 
the  same  position  as  the  coat.  In  this  position  the 
coat  is  under  the  vest,  both  are  merely  on  the  subject's 
arms  behind  him,  and  both  have  their  wrong  sides 
uppermost. 


VEST  TURNING.  261 

Now,  before  the  vest  can  be  turned,  it  must  first  be 
separated  from  the  coat  and  drawn  upon  one  arm  and 
the  coat  must  be  drawn  upon  the  other  arm.  To  do 
this,  it  is  necessary  to  pass  the  coat  entirely  through 
one  arm-hole  of  the  vest. 

I  usually  pass  the  coat  entirely  through  the  right 
arm-hole  of  the  vest.  The  right  sleeve  of  the  coat  is 
drawn  through  first,  then  the  body  of  the  coat,  and 
after  this  the  left  sleeve  of  the  coat.  As  this  is  done, 
it  is  necessary  to  move  the  vest  over  the  coat  to  the 
left.  This  brings  the  vest  on  the  subject's  left  arm 
and  it  is  now  ready  for  turning. 

Al  that  is  necessary  in  turning  the  vest  is  to  reach 
the  hand  through  the  left  arm-hole  and  grasp  the 
lower  right  front  corner  of  the  vest  and  pull  it  up 
through  the  left  arm-hole,  drawing  it  as  far  as  can 
be  done.  Next,  again  reach  the  hand  through  the  left 
arm-hole  of  the  vest  and  this  time  grasp  the  left  front 
corner  at  the  bottom  and  draw  it  up  through  the  left 
arm-hole  as  far  as  possible.  The  entire  vest  has  now 
passed  through  its  left  arm-hole  and  the  vest  is  turned. 

Next  comes  the  task  of  replacing  the  vest.  It  must 
first  be  placed  in  its  original  position  over  the  coat,  so 
it  is  necessary  to  now  pass  the  coat  through  the  right 
arm-hole  of  the  vest.  The  moves  are  just  the  reverse  of 
the  moves  that  were  used  when  it  was  passed  through 
in  the  first  place.  As  soon  as  the  vest  is  over  the  coat 
on  the  arms  it  can  be  drawn  up  over  the  subject's 
shoulders  into  position  as  when  worn.  It  is  now 
wrong  side  out,  and  the  coat  is  next  drawn  up  over 
the  shoulders  of  the  subject  into  its  usual  position 
over  the  vest  as  when  worn.  The  vest  is  now  under 
the  coat,  and  both  in  their  natural  positions,  except 
that  the  vest  is  wrong  side  out. 


262  VEST  TURNING. 

If  any  one  will  place  a  vest  without  any  coat  upon 
a  common  broom-stick,  and  reach  through  either  arm- 
hole  and  draw  through  first  the  far  lower  front  corner 
of  the  vest,  and  then  the  near  lower  front  corner,  the 
vest  can  be  turned  wrong  side  out  in  this  manner,  and 
the  reader  will  immediately  see  the  possibility  of  the 
trick;  and  that  it  is  necessary  to  first  get  the  vest 
upon  one  arm  by  itself  in  order  to  do  the  turning. 

To  turn  one's  own  vest,  the  hands  must  be  tied  in 
front  of  one,  and  with  sufficient  length  of  string  to 
allow  some  eight  inches  of  play.  Now  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  "shed"  the  coat  and  vest  over  the  head  upon 
the  arms  in  front  of  one,  when  the  same  maneuvers  can 
be  gone  through  as  in  the  other  case.  After  turning 
and  replacing  the  vest  over  the  coat,  the  medium  can 
give  the  coat  and  vest  a  toss  over  his  head  and  slip 
into  position  again  with  them  on  his  person ;  but  the 
vest  is  now  wrong  side  out. 


AN  IMPROVED  BILLET  TEST. 

THERE  is  an  improvement  on  the  old-time  trick 
known  as  ''Washington  Irving  Bishop's  Sealed 
Letter  Reading."  I  will  give  a  description  of  how  it  is 
worked.  The  operator  requests  each  spectator  to  write 
on  a  slip  of  paper  given  him  a  question  which  he  de- 
sires to  have  answered ;  and  to  fold  the  same  a  certain 
number  of  times  with  the  writing  inside. 

The  operator  now  gathers  up  these  billets  on  a  tray 
and  places  them  on  a  table  in  full  view  of  the  company. 
However,  just  before  gathering  up  the  billets,  the 
operator  conceals  a  folded  blank  billet  between  the 
ends  of  his  first  and  second  fingers ;  and  while  gather- 
ing up  the  billets,  he  leaves  this  blank  on  the  tray 
with  the  others,  and  secretly  purloins  a  genuine  billet 
in  its  place.  The  blank  is  folded  somewhat  dififerently 
from  the  others  so  that  the  performer  can  tell  at  a 
glance  which  one  it  is. 

The  performer  now  retires  to  another  room  to  bring 
a  glass  of  water  before  beginning  this  ''trying  work," 
and  while  out  he  opens  and  reads  the  question.  He 
quickly  memorizes  it,  folds  it  again,  secretes  it  be- 
tween the  ends  of  his  fingers,  and  returns  to  the 
parlor. 

He  now  faces  the  spectators,  standing  behind  the 
table  on  which  are  the  billets.     He  next  takes  up  a 


264  AN    IMPROVED    BILLET    TEST. 

genuine  billet  from  the  tray,  and  pressing  it  against 
his  forehead,  proceeds  to  anszver  the  question  hut  not 
to  read  it.  Let  us  suppose  the  question  is.  "Will  I 
take  a  trip  to  Chicago  next  summer?"  The  operator 
instead  of  reading  this  question,  proceeds  something 
like  this:  ''I  get  an  impression  of  an  answer  which 
seems  to  be,  'Yes,  if  walking  is  good.'  Now  that 
sounds  queer,  doesn't  it?  I  wonder  what  kind  of  a 
question  that  can  be  ?"  Suiting  the  action  to  the  word 
he  opens  the  billet  and  reads  the  question. 

Let  us  suppose  this  second  question  to  be,  "When 
will  I  be  married?"  The  operator,  instead  of  reading 
it  aloud,  repeats  the  first  question  which  he  secretly 
read  when  outside  getting  water.  He  remarks,  "Will 
I  take  a  trip  to  Chicago  this  summer?"  audibly,  as  if 
it  were  on  the  billet,  and  then  folds  the  latter  again. 
Meanwhile  he  has  secretly  memorized  the  second  ques- 
tion. 

When  folded,  he  apparently  takes  the  billet  out  of 
his  left  hand  with  his  right  fingers,  and  hands  it  to 
the  writer.  In  reality  he  palms  the  one  just  folded, 
and  taking  out  the  first  billet,  he  presents  it  to  its 
writer.  The  spectators  do  not  know  that  he  now  has 
another  billet  in  his  left  palm.  He  next  picks  up 
another  billet  with  his  right  hand,  and  placing  it  to 
his  head,  says,  "I  get  an  answer  which  sounds  like, 
Tt  looks  a  long  way  off.'  Now  that  is  a  queer  answer, 
isn't  it?  I  wonder  what  that  question  is."  He  again 
opens  the  billet,  reading  and  memorizing  the  third 
question  secretly,  and  at  the  same  time  pronouncing 
verbally  the  second  question  which  was,  "When  will 
I  be  married?"  He  now  folds  the  third  question,  and 
when  appearing  to  take  it  out  of  his  left  hand  with 
the  fingers  of  his  right,  again  takes  out  the  palmed 


AN    IMPROVED   BILLET   TEST.  265 

duplicate,  presenting  it  to  its  writer.  He  proceeds  in 
this  manner,  being  always  one  billet  behind  in  his  read- 
ing, and  leaves  the  blank  billet  until  the  last. 

When  he  comes  to  this  blank  he  does  not  open  it  at 
all,  but  reads  and  answers  it  while  pressing  it  against 
his  forehead.  He  now  ''shifts"  it  in  his  palm,  and  re-- 
turns  the  last  genuine  billet  to  its  writer,  retaining  the 
blank  concealed  in  his  palm.  I  believe  the  credit  for 
this  improved  method  belongs  to  Mr.  Edward  Bene- 
dict. 


APPENDIX. 

CORRESPONDENCE  BETWEEN   INQUIRERS   AND   MR.   ABBOTT  THROUGH 
THE  COLUMNS  OF  "tHE  OPEN  COURT." 

MEDIUMISTIC    SEANCES. 

Letter  to  Mr.  Abbott. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  had  the  pleasure,  some  time  ago,  of  reading  an 
article  of  yours  in  The  Open  Court  on  "Mediumistic 
Phenomena."  Of  the  following  which  I  submit  to  you, 
I  feel  that  I  will  be  satisfied  with  the  explanations  you 
may  make.  I  am  not  a  spiritualist,  but  while  visiting 
some  friends  in  Kansas  City,  recently,  who  are  spir- 
itualists, I  was  invited  to  attend  a  "trumpet"  seance 
given  at  a  private  house.  Out  of  curiosity  I  attended. 
The  seance  was  held  in  an  unfurnished  back  room  up 
stairs.  All  the  room  contained  was  a  row  of  chairs 
around  the  wall.  In  the  center  on  the  floor  was  a  small 
rug  on  which  stood  a  large  trumpet  and  some  flowers. 
A  lady  clairvoyant  from  Topeka  conducted  the  seance. 
In  the  circle  were  believers  and  unbelievers.  We  were 
seated  around  the  room  with  feet  touching.  Lights 
were  put  out  and  we  were  in  black  darkness.  They 
said  the  medium  was  controlled  by  an  Irish  spirit. 
Presently  the  Irish  spirit  spoke  through  the  trumpet 
giving  us  a  welcome  greetmg.  After  this  each  one  in 
turn  was  spoken  to  by  supposed  dead  relatives. 

When  it  came  to  my  turn,  a  sister  who  has  been  dead 


APPENDIX.  267 

many  years  spoke  her  name  and  talked  to  me.  (No 
one  in  the  circle  knew  anything  about  me  except  a 
sister-in-law  who  was  with  me.)  I  had  not  been  think- 
ing of  this  sister,  but  of  others  whom  it  might  be  pos- 
sible would  appear,  and  my  sister-in-law  said,  she  had 
not.  I  have  no  faith  in  it  all,  but  would  like  your  ex- 
planation, if  you  will  be  kind  enough  to  favor  me  with 
it.  I  would  like  you  to  explain  another  thing.  My 
sister-in-law  told  me  she  had  seen  her  husband,  who 
died  about  a  year  ago.  She  said  she  saw  him  as 
plainly  as  she  ever  did  in  life ;  that  he  came  through 
the  front  door,  went  right  up  to  her,  spoke  a  few  words 
and  disappeared.    This  she  declares  to  be  true. 

I  will  tell  you  of  another  instance.  A  daughter  of 
the  sister-in-law  of  whom  I  have  spoken,  when  quite 
a  little  girl,  saw  my  mother  who  had  died  some  time 
before.  She  went  up-stairs  and  in  one  of  the  rooms 
she  saw  my  mother  sitting  in  a  rocking-chair.  She 
ran  screaming  down-stairs,  almost  frightened  to  death. 
At  another  time  she  saw  her  standing  by  the  stove  in 
the  room.  This  all  seems  very  strange  to  me,  but  I 
have  no  reason  to  doubt  their  word. 

Very  respectfully. 


Reply. 
Dear  Madam  : 

Your  letter  is  received.  It  is  hard  to  explain  some- 
thing some  one  else  has  seen ;  when,  to  do  so  correctly, 
one  should  have  been  present  to  personally  observe  all 
the  little  details,  for  trickery. 

I  will  say  that  no  one  would  be  more  happy  than  I 
were  it  possible  to  prove  personal  immortality  in  this 
manner;  yet  I  do  not  wish  to  be  deceived  and  to  be- 
lieve that  which  is  not  true.    Therefore,  I  always  look 


268  APPENDIX. 

for  fraud  or  trickery  in  manifestations  of  this  nature. 
I  will  further  add  that  in  all  my  life  I  have  been  look- 
ing for  things  of  this  kind,  and  have  never  yet  been 
able  to  see  one  little  thing  that  was  genuine.  Always, 
when  I  have  been  present,  I  have  found  a  trick. 

I  have  attended  but  one  "Trumpet  Seance,"  which 
was  some  eight  or  ten  years  ago  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska. 
This  was  given  at  the  home  of  a  lady  where  the  me- 
dium stopped ;  and  as  the  family  was  poor,  the  lady 
was  glad  to  have  the  medium's  seances  a  success,  so 
that  she  might  receive  the  proper  financial  remunera- 
tion for  his  board. 

The  room  was  bare  of  furniture,  and  the  guests  were 
seated  around  the  room  on  chairs  holding  each  other's 
hands.  The  medium  sat  in  this  circle,  and  the  trum- 
pet stood  in  the  center  of  the  circle. 

As  soon  as  the  lights  were  out  the  trumpet  appar- 
ently floated  into  the  air,  and  from  its  mouth  we  were 
greeted  by  an  ''Irish  Spirit."  This  spirit  attempted 
to  be  a  comedian;  but  his  brogue  was  unnatural,  and 
his  wit  was  so  poor  that  I  felt  ashamed  for  the  me- 
dium. It,  however,  seemed  to  satisfy  the  majority  of 
the  sitters,  who  appeared  to  be  possessed  of  only  very 
ordinary  mental  powers. 

Tests  were  given  to  various  persons  present ;  but  as 
no  one  present  knew  anything  about  me,  I,  of  course, 
received  no  test. 

I  was  satisfied  that  the  medium  held  the  trumpet  to 
his  mouth  and  did  the  talking.  I  knew  that  by  point- 
ing it  rapidly  in  different  directions,  the  voice  would 
appear  to  come  from  the  various  positions  occupied 
by  the  bell  of  the  trumpet ;  and  the  spirit  would  thus 
appear  to  change  places  rapidly  over  our  heads. 

I  felt  certain  that  the  persons  sitting  on  each  side 


APPENDIX.  269 

of  the  medium  were  his  confederates,  and  that  they 
held  the  hands  of  the  ones  next  to  them ;  but,  of  course, 
released  the  medium's  hands  so  that  he  could  handle 
the  trumpet. 

I  was  inclined  to  think  that  there  were  a  goodly 
number  of  confederates  in  the  circle,  who  probably 
shared  in  the  proceeds  of  the  seance ;  for  I  found  the 
persons  next  to  me  would  not  let  my  hands  loose  for 
even  an  instant.  I  felt  sure  that  confederates  took 
possession  of  all  strangers,  and  saw  to  it  that  their 
hands  were  not  released ;  and  thus  they  prevented  acci- 
dents. 

To  me  it  seemed  merely  a  very  cheap  and  poor  trick. 
I  have  never  fancied  any  trick  where  the  lights  had  to 
be  put  out.  It  requires  too  little  skill  to  perform  such 
tricks.  I  have  always  felt  that  if  the  spirits  of  the  de- 
parted could  return  to  us  mortals,  they  would  not  re- 
quire a  tin  horn  to  talk  through,  and  the  entire  ab- 
sence of  light-waves  in  the  room.  To  me  this  all 
savors  too  much  of  charlatanism,  and  that  of  the 
cheapest  kind. 

Some  time  after  I  attended  this  seance,  I  had  some 
financial  dealings  with  the  daughter  of  the  lady  at 
whose  home  this  medium  had  boarded.  I  told  the 
daughter  what  I  had  concluded  in  regard  to  the  matter, 
and  she  confessed  that  I  was  right  in  every  particular. 
I  thus  verified  all  my  suspicions  in  the  case.  This  lady 
told  me  that  there  was  money  in  this  business  and  that 
she  intended  going  into  the  profession.  This  she  did 
soon  thereafter,  advertising  as  a  clairvoyant  and  trance 
medium.  I  understand  that  she  has  become  quite  suc- 
cessful in  the  business. 

There  is  one  statement  in  your  letter  that  is  entitled 
to  considerable  more  consideration  than  ordinary  work 


270 


APPENDIX. 


of  this  kind.  This  Is  the  statement  of  the  appearance 
of  your  dead  sister's  voice,  when  no  one  in  the  room 
knew  of  this  sister  except  your  sister-in-law  who  was 
with  you.  In  regard  to  this  I  cannot  say  positively 
how  the  medium  obtained  the  necessary  information 
in  your  particular  case ;  but  I  know  the  methods  em- 
ployed in  securing  such  information  by  nearly  all  the 
first-class  professional  mediums  who  are  traveling  over 
the  country. 

Each  medium  keeps  a  record  of  all  information  ob- 
tained in  a  book  for  that  purpose.  All  questions  asked 
by  any  persons  at  any  of  the  seances,  are  catalogued 
alphabetically  in  this  book  under  the  names  of  the  per- 
sons asking  them.  Also  the  medium  catalogues  alpha- 
betically any  other  information  he  may  be  able  to  ob- 
tain about  any  of  the  persons  who  attend  spiritualist 
meetings.  When  visiting  with  the  members  and  gos- 
siping the  medium  quietly  "pumps"  each  person  about 
other  members.  As  soon  as  the  medium  is  alone  all 
this  information  Is  catalogued  in  this  book.  Children 
are  questioned  adroitly  about  their  own  relatives,  and 
about  those  of  their  neighbors  and  friends ;  and  all  this 
is  added  to  the  store  of  information. 

Graveyards  are  visited  and  the  secrets  of  the  tombs 
catalogued.  Also,  the  old  files  of  the  daily  papers  are 
searched  for  information  relating  to  deaths  and  mar- 
riages; and,  by  all  these  ways,  in  time  the  book  con- 
tains many  tests  of  value  to  a  medium.  When  this 
medium  leaves  town,  the  book  (or  a  copy)  is  passed 
on  to  the  next  medium,  who  enters  town  equipped 
with  all  the  information  previously  gathered.  Pro- 
fessional mediums  are  generally  pretty  well  known  to 
each  other,  although  for  obvious  reasons  they  pretend 
not  to  be. 


APPENDIX.  271 

Some  of  the  better  grade  of  mediums  have  an  ad- 
vance person,  who,  in  the  guise  of  an  agent  of  some 
kind,  visits  the  proper  families.  During  the  time  he  is 
in  each  home,  he  asks  for  a  drink  of  water ;  and  while 
the  lady  is  getting  it,  he  studies  the  family  Bible  and 
the  album,  or  questions  the  children  about  such  mat- 
ters as  will  be  of  use  to  the  medium  who  will  soon  fol- 
low. In  all  of  these  manners  much  information  is 
secured  in  the  course  of  time.  It  is  not  unusual  for  a 
good  medium  to  enter  town  with  over  a  hundred  good 
tests  for  the  citizens  there. 

In  addition  to  the  above  there  are  certain  members 
of  each  spiritualistic  community  who  make  a  business 
of  acting  as  confederates  for  mediums.  They  usually 
receive  pay  for  their  services.  You  would  be  surprised 
were  you  once  behind  the  scenes,  and  a  performer,  to 
know  how  many  apparently  respectable  persons  at  a 
seance  are  secretly  confederates  of  the  medium.  These 
confederates  make  it  their  business  to  learn  all  they 
can  of  the  family  history  of  their  neighbors,  or  of  any 
friends  or  relatives  visiting  their  neighbors ;  which  in- 
formation is  at  once  conveyed  to  the  medium,  and  the 
same  properly  catalogued. 

You  would  think  that  respectable  persons  would  not 
take  part  in  fraud  in  such  matters ;  but  they  get  into 
it  gradually,  and  really  come  to  enjoy  it.  I  am  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  a  certain  sleight-of-hand  per- 
former in  this  city,  who  has  for  years  served  as  a  con- 
federate for  most  of  the  mediums  visiting  this  place. 
He  tells  me  that  he  enjoyed  it  at  first,  but  being  so 
well  versed  in  tricks,  his  services  were  of  so  much 
value  to  mediums  that  they  were  after  him  to  help 
them  out  continually.     This  required  so  much  of  his 


272  APPENDIX. 

time  that  he  has  of  late  given  up  this  work  and  now 
refuses  to  attend  seances  at  all. 

In  addition  to  these  methods  of  obtaining  informa- 
tion, most  members  are  so  anxious  to  see  some  one 
converted,  that  what  information  they  possess  is  not 
guarded  from  the  medium  very  closely.  In  fact,  they 
seem  in  many  cases  to  be  trying  to  help  the  medium 
out.  They  are  all  so  anxious  to  see  their  medium 
succeed ;  and  are  very  quick  to  feel  proud  of  him,  when 
such  tests  are  given. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  but  that  the  information 
about  your  dead  sister  was  obtained  in  some  of  these 
manners  from  your  sister-in-law  or  her  family,  espe- 
cially if  she  has  children.  No  doubt  some  confederate 
has  heard  her  mention  your  dead  sister's  name,  in 
some  time  past.  This  may  have  escaped  your  relative's 
memory.  Or,  if  she  is  a  believer,  she  has  undoubtedly 
attended  other  seances,  and  asked  questions,  usually 
written  ones.  If  so,  the  mediums  may  have  been  in 
possession  of  the  proper  information  for  some  con- 
siderable time. 

I  feel  certain  that  this  information  was  gained  in 
some  such  manner;  and  while  you  may  doubt  this 
explanation,  I  feel  that  were  I  to  go  there  and  begin 
operating  as  a  medium,  the  confederates  would  soon 
make  themselves  known  to  me;  and  that  I  could 
quickly  learn  where  the  medium  got  her  information 
in  your  case. 

You  thought  you  were  a  stranger ;  but  you  may  rest 
assured  that  you  were  known  as  soon  as  you  entered 
the  room,  and  that  a  test  was  planned  for  you  that 
would  make  a  sensation.  And  they  probably  hoped 
also  to  make  a  convert. 

It  is  probable  that  your  dead  sister  bore  the  same 


APPENDIX.  -  273 

relation  to  your  sister-in-law  that  you  do.  If  this  be 
the  case,  and  she  being  dead,  your  sister-in-law  would 
have  been  almost  certain  at  some  meeting  some  time, 
to  have  asked  some  question,  which,  within  its  lines, 
conveyed  the  information  that  there  was  such  a  per- 
son then  dead. 

It  is  a  great  advantage  to  mediums  to  be  able  to 
give  tests  of  this  character;  the  effect  being  so  great 
on  those  present  and  so  convincing,  it  adds  greatly  to 
the  medium's  reputation,  as  well  as  to  his  finances, 
to  be  able  to  give  such  tests.  As  a  result,  a  medium 
is  always  on  the  lookout  for  such  information ;  and 
makes  securing  it  his  principal  employment  when  not 
engaged  at  the  regular  work.  You  may  rest  assured 
that  a  medium  will  not  hesitate  to  use  such  information 
in  the  manner  you  have  outlined,  no  matter  how  he 
may  have  come  into  possession  of  it. 

Frequently,  when  such  tests  are  given,  the  ones  re- 
ceiving them  are  so  taken  by  surprise  and  so  greatly 
impressed,  owing  to  their  affection  for  the  departed 
and  their  longing  to  feel  that  the  departed  still  exists 
as  an  individual  or  unit,  that  they  imagine  afterwards 
that  they  noticed  a  resemblance  in  the  voice,  to  that 
of  their  dear  one.  I  do  not  know  whether  or  not  you 
noticed  such  a  resemblance  to  your  sister's  voice. 

There  are  dealers  who  sell  to  mediums  secrets  which 
give  them  instructions  for  performing  their  work.  I 
have  bought  many  such  secrets  myself,  paying  a  large 
price  for  them ;  and  I  can  assure  you  that  I  know 
what  I  am  talking  about  in  this  instance. 

The  fact  that  dealers  in  such  secrets  can  follow  the 
business  successfully,  is  proof  that  they  receive  suffi- 
cient patronage  to  support  it,  and  this  patronage  comes 
almost  entirely  from  professional  mediums. 


274  APPENDIX. 

I  could  recall  to  you  many  instances  of  fraudulent 
mediums,  had  I  time  and  space  to  do  so.  I  hope  at 
a  future  time  to  publish  in  The  Open  Court  another 
article,  describing  the  work  of  some  of  the  best  me- 
diums. If  ever  you  come  to  Omaha,  I  should  be 
pleased  to  make  your  acquaintance ;  and  would  per- 
sonally illustrate  to  you  what  may  be  accomplished 
by  trickery  in  this  field. 

As  to  the  apparitions  which  your  sister-in-law  and 
her  daughter  claim  to  have  seen,  there  are  but  three 
solutions  possible. 

First:  There  is  the  solution  that  the  statement  is 
not  true;  but  as  you  assure  me  you  have  every  con- 
fidence in  their  truth,  I  will  not  consider  this  solution. 

Second  and  Third:  We  have  the  solutions  either 
that  they  did  see  what  they  claim  to  have  seen  ob- 
jectively ;  or  that  they  imagine  that  they  did,  but  really 
saw  it  subjectively.  There  is  no  professional  medium 
at  work  here,  and  consequently  no  trickery  to  explain. 

If  the  doctrine  of  scientific  men  (as  for  instance  set 
forth  in  Dr.  Carus's  Soul  of  Man)  be  correct,  each 
object  viewed  throughout  life  leaves  an  impression 
in  our  brain-structures.  When  such  object  is  first 
viewed,  the  form  of  the  outside  motions  of  the  ether 
(light- waves)  is  transferred  to  the  proper  position 
within  the  brain  by  the  mechanism  of  the  nervous  sys- 
tem. Here  this  produces  a  commotion  and  as  a  result 
this  commotion  leaves  a  "trace"  which  is  preserved  in 
the  brain  structure. 

When  such  trace  is  being  formed,  the  subject  ex- 
periences subjectively  a  sensation  which  he  identifies 
with  the  outside  object  producing  it.  The  fact  is  the 
formal  features  of  the  outside  object  have  been  trans- 
ferred to,  or  reproduced  in,  the  sensation.    When  next 


APPENDIX.  275 

the  same  object  is  viewed,  the  same  nerve  energy 
passes  along  the  same  channels  into  the  same  trace  and 
stimulates  or  excites  it  again  as  was  done  in  the  first 
instance.  During  this  process  the  subject  again  ex- 
periences the  same  sensation  as  was  experienced  in 
the  first  instance.  The  subject  recognizes  the  sensa- 
tion to  be  the  same  as  the  first  one  experienced,  and 
naturally  attributes  it  to  the  same  outside  cause. 

If,  now,  this  particular  trace  in  the  brain  structure 
be  artificially  excited  or  stimulated  by  any  means,  the 
subject  will  experience  the  original  sensation,  and  will 
perceive  the  object  that  originally  formed  such  a  trace. 
The  perception  will  be  just  as  real  to  the  subject  as 
was  the  original  perception,  or  as  it  would  be  if  the 
exciting  cause  were  the  original  object  outside.  The 
original  object  could  not  produce  a  perception  more 
real  to  the  subject,  because  it  could  only  excite  or 
stimulate  the  same  trace  in  the  same  manner ;  and  the 
subject  would  have  no  means  to  distinguish  between 
two  identical  impressions,  although  produced  by  differ- 
ent causes. 

It  is  due  to  such  local  excitements  and  stimulations 
that  we  see  objects  in  our  sleep,  just  as  real  as  if  they 
existed  objectively  in  the  positions  in  which  our  per- 
ceptions picture  them. 

Now,  if,  from  any  cause,  a  highly-strung,  sensitive, 
or  nervous  person,  stimulate  or  excite  any  particular 
trace  in  the  brain-structure,  he  will  see  subjectively 
but  as  perfectly  real,  the  original  object  that  formed 
this  trace.  Such  person  is  most  liable  to  excite  in  this 
way  that  portion  of  the  brain  wherein  is  the  image  of 
some  dear  one  on  whom  the  mind  has  been  dwelling 
too  intently ;  and  which  has  thus  been  overworked,  so 


276  APPENDIX. 

that  the  mechanism  of  this  particular  part  of  the  sen- 
tient substance  has  been  weakened  and  impaired. 

If  we  conclude  that  your  relatives  really  saw  these 
dead  persons  objectively,  this  can  only  mean  that  these 
dead  persons  were  really  present  in  this  room.  Now, 
if  they  were  clothed  as  in  life,  we  must  also  conclude 
that  the  clothing  of  persons  as  well  as  their  spiritual 
part  is  immortal.  As  Ingersoll  said,  we  must  conclude 
that  clothing  has  ghosts.  But  if  we  accept  the  theory 
of  a  mere  subjective  apparition  or  illusion,  caused  by 
a  local  excitement  in  the  brain  structures,  we  should 
naturally  expect  the  images  to  be  clothed  as  in  life. 

The  question  is,  which  do  you  regard  as  most  prob- 
able: that  your  relatives  really  saw  the  spiritual  part 
of  two  beings  objectively — that  is,  the  part  that  is  not 
m^aterial,  and  that  it  had  this  material  appearance — or 
that  they  saw  a  mere  subjective  apparition  within  their 
own  brains?    I  should  prefer  the  subjective  theory. 

I  remain,  dear  m^adam,  yours  for  truth, 

David  P.  Abbott. 

Second  Letter  of  Mr.  Abbott. 
Dear  Madam  : 

Since  writing  my  former  letter,  it  has  been  my  good 
fortune  to  come  into  possession  of  a  little  information 
that  might  interest  you;  accordingly,  I  write  you  this 
second  letter. 

There  recently  arrived  in  Omaha  two  "Celebrated 
Occultists."  They  hired  a  hall  and  some  parlors,  and 
began  a  series  of  public  meetings,  seances,  and  private 
readings.  They  had  considerable  difficulty  in  securing 
rooms  as  the  property  owners  were  afraid  of  the  repu- 
tation their  property  might  acquire  of  being  "haunted." 
Finally  the  papers  came  out  with  quite  a  sympathetic 


APPENDIX.  2"]^ 

article  in  their  behalf,  with  the  result  that  they  have 
started  off  very  prosperously.  There  is  an  attendance 
of  three  or  four  hundred  persons  at  their  Sunday 
night  meetings,  while  they  have  from  thirty  to  forty 
at  the  parlor  seances;  and  during  the  day  they  are 
continually  employed  giving  private  readings. 

I  called  on  these  mediums,  and  was  surprised  to 
find  that  the  principal  medium  was  the  lady  I  formerly 
knew  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  to  whom  I  referred  in  my 
former  letter.  She  has  been  regularly  in  the  profes- 
sion for  the  past  nine  or  ten  years,  has  a  good  ac- 
quaintance with  all  the  professional  mediums,  and 
comes  direct  from  Kansas  City,  Missouri. 

She  recognized  me  at  once,  and  seems  to  intend 
making  a  convert  of  me.  She  has  evidently  forgotten 
the  little  confession  she  made  to  me  just  before  enter- 
ing the  profession. 

I  had  several  little  confidential  visits  with  her  man- 
ager, and  incidentally  mentioned  to  him  the  name  of 
a  certain  dealer  in  secrets  for  the  use  of  mediums, 
stating  that  I  was  familiar  with  most  of  the  effects  of 
the  kind,  and  was  a  performer  of  them.  This  seemed 
to  "break  the  ice,"  and  he  was  ready  enough  to  give 
me  any  information  he  possessed  about  other  mediums, 
at  the  same  time  claiming  that  his  medium  was,  of 
course,  genuine. 

I  find  that  the  lady  who  gave  the  seance  you  wrote 
me  about  is  an  acquaintance  of  theirs.  They  know 
her  well,  and  her  name  is  Miss . 

You  will  know  if  this  be  right  and  if  my  informa- 
tion be  correct.  He  assured  me  that  her  mediumship 
is  fraudulent,  and  informed  me  that  she  has  an  arti- 
ficial hand  which  she  frequently  uses  in  her  'Trumpet 
Seances."    This  hand  is  attached  to  the  person  and  can 


278  APPENDIX. 

be  bent  into  different  positions.  When  she  sits  with 
the  subject  next  to  her,  she  takes  hold  of  the  subject's 
two  hands  with  her  left  hand,  and,  incidentally,  does 
not  let  loose  of  them  during  the  seance.  This  is  done 
after  the  lights  are  out.  Then  she,  with  her  remaining 
hand,  bends  down  the  artificial  hand  (which  has  been 
concealed  in  her  clothing),  so  that  its  fingers  clasp  the 
arm  of  the  sitter.  The  subject  can  then  inform  the 
spectators  at  all  times  that  the  medium  has  both  hands 
on  his  person.  Meanwhile,  the  medium's  right  hand 
is  free  to  grasp  the  light  aluminum  trumpet,  and  point 
it  into  different  positions  while  she  talks  through  it. 
She  also,  on  occasions,  uses  a  telescopic  reaching-rod 
which  can  be  carried  in  the  pocket,  but  when  extended 
it  reaches  a  length  of  several  feet,  and  enables  her  to 
float  the  trumpet  on  its  end  around  the  room  over  the 
heads  of  the  spectators,  giving  them  an  occasional 
"bump,"  while  her  voice  can  be  heard  in  the  position 
where  she  sits.  This  is  done  in  the  same  manner  that 
guitars  and  other  instruments  (frequently  self-play- 
ing) are  sometimes  floated  over  the  heads  of  a  circle 
of  sitters  by  many  mediums.  This  is  done  while  they 
apparently  hold  the  hands  of  one  of  the  spectators  at 
their  side  of  the  circle. 

I  asked  the  manager  how  he  considered  that  the 
medium  got  her  information  about  your  dead  sister. 
He  replied  that  she  undoubtedly  got  it  from  what  is 
known  to  certain  members  of  the  profession  as  the 
"Blue  Book."  This  is  the  book  I  referred  to  before 
in  which  the  tests  are  alphabetically  catalogued  for 
each  town.  He  said  that  his  medium  never  uses  the 
"Blue  Book"  as  her  mediumship  is  genuine ;  but,  how- 
ever, he  has  in  his  possession  a  similar  book  of  Kansas 
City.     I  asked  if  I  could  find  the  information  about 


APPENDIX.  279 

your  dead  sister  in  his  book ;  but  he  said  that  possibly 
he  did  not  have  that  particular  item,  although  there 
could  be  no  doubt  but  that  it  was  contained  in  the 

book  of  the  lady  or  of  the  noted  medium  Mr.  , 

as  these  two  have  worked  together  to  a  considerable 
extent. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  all  the  questions  that 
your  relative  ever  asked  the  mediums  in  any  of  the 
Kansas  City  meetings,  have  been  preserved  and  cata- 
logued ;  and  thus  the  information  about  your  dead 
sister  may  have  been  obtained  for  some  considerable 
time.  Although  the  medium  was  a  stranger  to  you,  it 
is  quite  certain  that  you  were  known  to  the  medium 
when  the  seance  began.  This  is  part  of  their  business, 
and  the  knowledge  of  a  suitable  number  of  "tests"  is 
a  medium's  stock  in  trade. 

I  remain,  dear  madam,  very  truly  yours, 

David  P.  Abbott. 

Inquirer's  Reply  to  Mr.  Abbott. 
Dear  Sir: 

Your  communication  which  I  have  just  received  de- 
serves an  early  reply. 

The  name  of  the  medium  who  held  the  seance  was 

,  the  same  as  you  mentioned.     I  was  introduced 

to  her  but  I  never  heard  her  given  name.     Of  course, 

she  must  be  the  same  one.    I  saw  her  and  Mr. at 

a  Sunday  evening  meeting  at  their  hall,  so  you  are  on 
the  right  track.* 

*  Since  the  above  correspondence  was  first  published,  I 
have  journeyed  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  had  a  sitting  with 
the  medium  herein  referred  to.  I  found  her  performance  to 
be  a  simple  fraud. 

After  the  seance  I  privately  complimented  her  on  her  power 
^  modulate  her  voice,  informed  her  I  was  a  performer,  and 


28o  APPENDIX. 

I  do  not  see  how  any  one  can  practice  so  much  fraud 
in  such  serious  matters. 

Thanking  you  for  your  kindness, 

I  am  very  respectfully, 


A  PUZZLING  CASE. 

Dr.  Burgess  to  The  Open  Court. 

One  would  hardly  expect  any  proof  of  the  future 
life  to  reach  his  ear  in  the  dark  through  an  aluminum 
horn.  But  if  it  was  not  what  it  purported  to  be,  the 
puzzle  is  to  know  what  else  it  could  have  been.  Like 
your  valued  contributor,  Mr.  Abbott,  I  have  usually 
had  little  trouble  in  arriving  at  a  solution  of  such 
puzzles.  But  this  one  stumps  me,  and  I  should  be 
glad  to  have  him  help  me  out,  if  he  will  kindly  do  so. 
For  I  am  satisfied  that  the  ''spirit"  in  this  exceptional 
case  did  not  inhabit  the  medium's  body,  and  Mr.  Abbott 
seems  as  anxious  as  I  am  to  be  convinced  that  the 
spirits  of  departed  friends  may  really  live  without  any 
bodies  whatever.  It  is  a  plain  proposition  that  there 
can  be  no  life  without  wear  and  tear  upon  the  means 
of  its  production.  To  believe  in  the  future  life,  there- 
fore, one  must  confess  that  he  believes  in  something 
that  utterly  passes  his  comprehension.     But  we  not 

offered  to  give  her  some  instruction  if  she  should  so  desire. 
She,  seeing  my  knowledge  of  the  profession,  made  no  claim 
to  genuineness  after  this. 

She  said  that  if  I  could  give  her  any  instruction  that  would 
aid  her  in  making  a  living,  that  she  would  be  very  grateful; 
for  she  said  that  she  had  an  invalid  husband  somewhere  in 
Colorado  whom  she  had  to  support.  I  thereupon  taught  her 
a  slate  trick  which  she  accepted  gratefully,  and  I  left  her 
practicing  it.  ^  I  may  have  done  wrong  in  increasing  her  pow- 
ers of  deception,  but  at  least  I  satisfied  myself  as  to  her  hon- 
esty.— D.  p.  A. 


APPENDIX.  281 

only  believe  In  many  uncomprehended  things  but  know 
them  to  be  true.  Just  as  we  will  believe  in  this  trum- 
pet affair — that  it  was  done  by  spirit  agency — unless 
some  one  can  point  out  how  else  it  could  be  done. 
There  will  be  doubting  Thomases  in  any  event ;  but 
the  writer,  with  seventy-five  years  of  life  behind  him, 
cannot  help  feeling  that  he  will  soon  be  in  a  position 
to  know  the  truth  of  the  matter — or  else  to  be  lost  in 
the  depths  of  utter  knownothingness. 

The  puzzling  occurrence  alluded  to  took  place  at  a 
trumpet  seance  which,  for  precautionary  reasons,  was 
held  at  my  own  house ;  and  the  medium  and  members 
of  my  own  household  were  the  only  persons  present. 
None  of  those  present  except  myself  had  ever  seen 
the  medium  before,  and  I  had  simply  met  her  once  to 
make  arrangements  for  her  coming.  She  was  an  in- 
telligent, middle-aged  woman  of  somewhat  reserved 
but  agreeable  manners,  and  she  came  alone  to  the  se- 
ance bringing  no  paraphernalia  with  her  except  the 
trumpet.  She  never  to  my  knowledge  advertised  her- 
self or  gave  public  seances. 

She  readily  consented  to  be  bound  to  her  chair  in 
such  a  way  as  to  effectually  prevent  any  movement 
of  her  hands  or  body,  and  the  tapes  she  was  bound  with 
were  finally  tacked  to  the  floor  so  that  the  chair  itself 
could  not  be  moved  without  detection.  In  fact,  in  the 
stillness  of  the  room  it  would  have  been  impossible  for 
any  person  to  move  about  without  attracting  atten- 
tion. Having  taken  these  precautions,  it  seemed  a 
foregone  conclusion  that  any  trickery  or  collusion  with 
confederates  on  the  part  of  the  medium  was  simply 
out  of  the  question. 

The  trumpet  occupied  a  position  several  feet  in  front 
of  the  medium,  and  after  a  tedious  wait  in  the  dark. 


282  APPENDIX. 

we  were  finally  startled  by  hearing  it  move.  Shortly 
afterward  faint  whispers  were  heard  through  it  which 
soon  became  so  strong  as  to  be  partly  or  wholly  under- 
stood. And  now  jocularity  gave  place  to  intense  in- 
terest, and  the  anomalous  character  of  the  proceedings 
was  lost  sight  of  as  the  names  of  friend  after  friend 
were  feebly  given.  No  one  could  help  sympathizing 
with  them  in  their  heroic  efforts  to  be  heard  and  under- 
stood. And  not  all  of  these  efforts  were  made  through 
the  trumpet.  Clearly  some  of  the  whisperings  were 
outside  and  independent  of  it. 

Not  much  of  details  will  be  necessary  to  my  pres- 
ent purpose.  Suffice  it  to  say  that,  one  after  another, 
the  trumpet  came  close  to  every  one  of  us,  giving  the 
names  of  departed  friends  and  relations  most  of  whom 
had  never  been  within  thousands  of  miles  of  San 
Francisco.  But  the  marvel  was  how  the  trumpet  could 
move  about  so  rapidly  and  unerringly  in  the  dark, 
caressing  us  gently  on  the  hands,  cheeks,  top  of  the 
head  and  elsewhere,  and  occasionally  dropping  on  the 
floor  with  a  thud  as  though  the  force  which  sustained 
it  was  well  nigh  exhausted.  Once,  indeed,  it  fell  near 
me  with  sufficient  force  to  drive  the  two  sections  of 
it  together  so  that  I  had  to  pull  them  apart  again  be- 
fore the  performance  could  be  proceeded  with.  As 
a  further  illustration  of  the  mysterious  forces  em- 
ployed, raps,  some  of  them  loud  and  jarring,  were 
occasionally  heard  upon  the  doors  and  walls  of  the 
room  in  various  places,  and  once  the  tall  doors  of  my 
bookcase  were  rapidly  swung  back  and  forth  a  num- 
ber of  times  as  if  to  make  sure  that  it  had  attracted 
attention.  No  person  in  the  room  was  in  a  position 
to  have  swung  the  doors  or  made  the  raps  without 
leaving  their  seats,  and  thus  attracting  attention.  Many 


APPENDIX.  283 

remarkable  things  were  said  by  the  trumpet  voices,  but 
I  pass  them  by  as  merely  cumulative  evidence. 

The  puzzle  is  to  account  for  the  remarkable  doings 
of  the  trumpet  which  were  as  much  or  more  mysti- 
fving  than  its  sayings. 

It  is  needless  to  add  that  when  the  lights  were 
turned  on  the  medium  was  found  securely  bound  in 
her  place  as  we  had  left  her  when  the  lights  were 
turned  out.  O.  O.  Burgess. 

Mr.  Abbott's  Reply. 

I  have  read  the  communication  of  Doctor  Burgess, 
and  it  is  evident  that  he  is  quite  critical,  and  that  this 
case  is  worthy  of  attention.  I  have  attended  trumpet 
seances  quite  recently,  also  rope-  and  tape-tying  se- 
ances, but  have  not  attended  a  seance  where  the  two 
were  combined. 

I  take  it  for  granted  that  the  persons  present  were 
all  so  nearly  related  to  the  Doctor  that  the  possibility  of 
confederates  being  employed  was  entirely  out  of  the 
question. 

As  the  Doctor  says,  I  should  be  glad  to  prove  per- 
sonal immortality  in  any  manner  if  possible  to  do  so, 
yet  I  should  want  to  be  quite  certain  that  there  was 
no  resort  to  trickery  in  the  case.  I  have  investigated 
so  many  cases  and  found  so  much  fraud  that  naturally 
I  always  expect  to  find  it. 

It  would  be  no  reflection  on  the  Doctor,  if  he  were 
deceived  by  a  clever  trick,  for  the  most  intelligent 
are  easily  deceived  by  an  art  with  which  they  are  not 
familiar. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  explain  the  exact 
method  this  medium  used,  unless  I  could  see  her  work. 
I  can  only  describe  work  of  a  similar  kind  with  which 


284  APPENDIX. 

I  am  familiar,  and  explain  how  it  is  done.  I  am  aware 
that  this  does  not  prove  the  present  case  to  have  been 
clever  trickery;  yet  if  this  work  is  duplicated  fre- 
quently by  trickery,  it  is  strong  evidence  that  the  me- 
dium resorted  to  the  same  means  in  this  case. 

In  regard  to  rope-  and  tape-tying,  I  will  not  enter 
into  a  detailed  explanation  of  the  various  tricks  of  the 
kind  used  by  professional  mediums  and  conjurors,  as 
this  would  require  altogether  too  much  space.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  the  Davenport  Brothers  originated  the 
first  rope-tying  experiments.  They  were  bound  in 
the  most  thorough  manner,  and  left  in  their  cabinet ; 
when  the  most  marvelous  manifestations  would  take 
place  as  soon  as  the  curtains  w^ere  drawn.  It  was  sup- 
posed that  spirits  appeared  in  the  cabinet  through  the 
occult  powers  of  the  Davenports,  and  performed  these 
maneuvers  in  order  to  convince  unbelieving  mortals. 
It  was  many  years  before  the  secret  of  their  original 
tie  was  discovered.  I  will  refer  the  reader  to  the 
work.  The  Spirit  World  Unmasked,  by  Henry  Ridgely 
Evans,  for  a  full  account  of  this. 

Soon  after  the  appearance  of  the  Davenports,  other 
mediums  experimented  and  invented  many  different 
ties.  Finally  the  conjurors  took  the  subject  up,  and 
the  secrets  of  such  ties  became  common  property. 
One  has  but  to  witness  Kellar,  the  magician,  on  the 
stage  using  his  best  spirit  tie,  to  realize  the  possibilities 
of  this  art.  The  committee  tie  his  hands  behind  him 
very  tightly;  yet  he  will  instantly  bring  either  hand 
forward  and  exhibit  it,  place  it  behind  himself,  and 
turn  his  back ;  when  his  hands  will  be  seen  to  be  tied 
together  as  tightly  as  ever.  The  committee  think 
that  they  tie  his  hands  in  their  own  way. 

Yost  &  Company  of  Philadelphia,  dealers  in  magical 


APPENDIX.  285 

apparatus,  spiritualistic  secrets,  etc.,  advertise  for  sale 
the  secrets  of  a  tie  which  they  call  "Kellar's  Best  Tie." 

It  is  doubtful  if  any  rope-tying  experiments  ever 
performed  were  equal  to  that  of  the  Davenports.  Their 
work  was  surely  the  greatest  mystery  of  the  kind  ever 
exhibited  before  the  public.  The  following  passages 
I  quote  in  full  from  The  Spirit  World  Unmasked. 

*Tn  the  dark  seance,  flour  w^as  sometimes  placed  in 
the  pinioned  hands  of  the  Davenports.  On  being  re- 
leased from  their  bonds,  the  flour  w^as  found  undis- 
turbed. 

"This  was  considered  a  convincing  test ;  for  how 
could  the  brothers  possibly  manipulate  the  musical 
instruments  with  their  hands  full  of  flour.  One  day 
a  wag  substituted  a  handful  of  snuff  for  flour,  and 
when  the  mediums  were  examined,  the  snufT  had  dis- 
appeared and  flour  taken  its  place.  As  will  be  under- 
stood, in  the  above  test  the  Davenports  emptied  the 
flour  from  their  hands  into  secret  pockets,  and  at  the 
proper  moment  took  out  cornucopias  of  flour  and 
filled  their  hands  again  before  securing  themselves  in 
the  famous  slip-knots. 

"Among  the  exposes  of  the  Brothers  Davenport, 
Hermann  the  conjuror,  gives  the  following  in  the 
Cosmopolitan  Magazine :  'The  Davenports,  for  thirteen 
years,  in  Europe  and  America,  augmented  the  faith 
in  Spiritualism.  Unfortunately  for  the  Davenports 
they  appeared  at  Ithaca,  New  York,  where  is  situated 
Cornell  University.  The  students  having  a  scientific 
trend  of  mind,  provided  themselves  before  attending 
the  performance  with  pyrotechnic  balls  containing 
phosphorus,  so  made  as  to  ignite  suddenly  with  a 
bright  light.  During  the  dark  seance  when  the  Daven- 
ports were  supposed  to  be  bound  hand  and  foot  within 


286  APPENDIX. 

the  closet  and  when  guitars  were  apparently  floating 
in  the  air,  the  students  struck  their  lights,  whereupon 
the  spirits  were  found  to  be  no  other  than  the  Daven- 
ports themselves,  dodging  about  the  stage  brandish- 
ing guitars  and  playing  tunes  and  waving  at  the  same 
time  tall  poles  surmounted  by  phosphorescent  spook 
pictures.'  " 

Tape-tying  was  not  originated  until  after  rope- 
tying  had  become  quite  common.  Annie  Eva  Fay 
used  a  tie  called  "The  Cotton  Bandage  Test/'  She  was 
seated  on  a  stool  which  was  placed  against  a  wooden 
post,  the  latter  being  screwed  tightly  to  the  floor. 
Her  wrists  were  bound  tightly  with  cotton  bandages, 
and  the  spectators  were  allowed  to  sew  the  knots 
thoroughly  and  place  courtplaster  over  them.  These 
bandages  were  tied  tightly  together  behind  her  and 
fastened  securely  to  the  post,  the  knots  being  sealed. 
She  bewildered  a  committee  of  English  scientists,  yet 
the  secret  of  her  tie  is  well  known  to  conjurors  at  the 
present  time. 

The  reader  can  find  a  full  explanation  of  this  tie  in 
Shaiv's  Magical  Instructor,  or  in  the  above-mentioned 
work  by  Mr.  Evans  from  which  I  quote  the  following  : 

"One  of  Annie  Eva's  most  convincing  tests  is  the 
accordion  which  plays,  after  it  has  been  bound  fast 
with  tapes  and  the  tapes  carefully  sealed  at  every 
note,  so  as  to  prevent  its  being  performed  on  in  the 
regular  manner.  Her  method  of  operating,  though 
simple,  is  decidedly  ingenious.  She  places  a  small  tube 
in  the  valve-hole  of  the  instrument,  breathes  and  blows 
alternately  into  it,  and  then  by  fingering  the  keys,  exe- 
cutes an  air  with  excellent  effect." 

There  is  a  celebrated  medium  in  Kansas  City  who 
submits   to   a   tie   allowing  the   tapes   sewed   to   the 


APPENDIX.  287 

carpet  and  corn  meal  is  placed  in  his  palms,  where 
either  it  or  other  meal  will  be  found  after  the  per- 
formance. The  manifestations  are  very  convincing, 
yet  recently  a  "spirit"  was  "grabbed"  at  one  of  his 
seances,  and  it  proved  to  be  the  medium.  This  was 
written  up  in  a  daily  paper  there,  as  among  those  who 
grabbed  him  was  a  reporter. 

I  have  an  acquaintance,  an  ex-medium,  who  is  quite 
expert  at  the  tying  tricks.  He  permits  himself  to  be 
tied  to  his  chair,  yet  he  can  instantly  release,  and  re- 
place himself  in  the  ties.  It  is  very  instructive  to  watch 
him  do  this.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  a  clever 
artist,  in  the  art  of  rope-  and  tape-tying,  can  instantly 
release  himself  from  almost  any  tie,  and  as  quickly 
replace  himself. 

Such  being  the  case,  the  fact  that  the  medium  was 
well  tied  in  the  Doctor's  case  can  hardly  be  regarded 
as  evidential.  While  this  lady  may  not  have  done  so, 
yet  the  probabilities  are  that  she  either  escaped  bodily 
from  the  ties,  later  replacing  herself;  or,  that  she  se- 
cured the  free  use  of  her  hands,  so  that  she  was  en- 
abled to  perform  the  necessary  maneuvers. 

In  case  the  lady  escaped,  she  probably  slipped  around 
the  circle  handling  the  trumpet.  She  could  thus  drop 
the  trumpet,  recover  it,  whisper  through  it,  etc.  She 
could  also  make  the  raps  with  it,  or  with  a  "telescopic 
reaching  rod."  This  latter  is  made  of  aluminum  and 
when  closed  is  but  little  larger  than  a  lead  pencil. 
Such  appliances  frequently  extend  six  feet  or  more 
when  fully  drawn  out.  Being  of  aluminum  they  are 
very  light.  They  have  a  hook  on  the  end  for  hooking 
into  the  handle  of  the  trumpet  or  other  objects  to  be 
floated. 

Sometimes  the  rod  is  made  as  a  tube.    The  medium 


288  APPENDIX. 

can  then  insert  a  small  mouthpiece  and  whisper  or 
speak  in  the  end  of  it.  The  voices  will  appear  to  be 
at  whatever  location  the  farther  end  of  the  tube  occu- 
pies at  this  time.  Sometimes  this  tube  is  inserted  into 
the  small  end  of  the  trumpet :  and  in  such  cases  the 
trumpet  can  go  very  high  in  the  room,  even  to  the 
distant  corners,  and  at  the  same  time  have  a  voice 
in  it. 

The  reader  will  readily  see  that  it  would  only  be 
necessary  for  the  medium  to  get  the  free  use  of  her 
hands  to  manipulate  this  tube ;  and  that  she  would 
be  able  to  produce  the  raps  with  the  end  of  it,  swing 
the  book-case  doors,  etc.  As  the  tube  is  but  little 
larger  than  a  lead  pencil  when  closed,  it  would  be  very 
easy  for  her  to  conceal  such  an  appliance  in  her  cloth- 
ing, and  as  soon  as  her  hands  were  free,  proceed  to 
conduct  the  manifestations. 

It  would  not  be  necessary  to  leave  her  chair  at  all. 
The  aluminum  trumpets  are  very  light,  and  for  this 
reason  they  can  be  manipulated  so  that  the  touches  on 
the  sitter's  heads  are  but  little  more  than  a  caress,  and 
it  is  very  easy  to  manipulate  them.  They  and  the 
telescopic  tubes  can  be  purchased  at  the  mediums' 
supply  depots  for  a  nominal  sum. 

The  mediums  who  perform  the  most  marvelous  ap- 
pearing work  use  the  telescopic  tubes  very  frequently. 
They  do  not  all  submit  to  being  tied  but  quite  fre- 
quently allow  a  sitter  to  hold  their  hands  and  feet. 
This  is  regarded  as  more  convincing  than  if  the  me- 
dium be  trusted  beyond  the  sitter's  reach,  although 
he  may  be  securely  tied.  In  some  of  my  articles  I 
have  described  these  holding  tests,  and  the  little  de- 
ception by  which  the  medium  gains  the  free  use  of  one 
arm  with  perfect  safety. 


APPENDIX.  289 

In  some  cases  the  medium  has  a  cage  of  iron  tubing, 
or  heavy  wire  large  enough  to  cover  his  person.  He 
is  seated  on  a  stool,  and  the  cage  is  placed  over  him 
and  securely  screwed  to  the  floor.  Wax  is  then  placed 
on  the  screw  heads  and  sealed.  The  trumpet  and  other 
articles  are  placed  near  the  cage  and  all  of  the  mani- 
festations take  place  when  the  lights  are  put  out.  He 
reaches  the  telescopic  tube  through  the  open-work  of 
the  cage  and  manipulates  the  articles. 

I  had  an  acquaintance  with  a  medium  who  talked 
through  a  trumpet  very  often.  She  informed  me  that 
it  requires  considerable  practice  to  talk  well  through  a 
trumpet  and  let  no  sound  escape  near  the  mouth.  It 
is  an  art  of  its  own,  as  it  were. 

In  some  trumpet  seances  the  lights  are  not  put  out 
but  merely  lowered  until  quite  dim.  The  trumpet  is 
laid  on  the  floor  in  front  of  a  cabinet,  and  voices  issue 
from  it.  This  usually  occurs  at  the  medium's  own 
home.  In  such  cases  a  concealed  rubber  tube  lies 
under  a  loose  rug;  and  when  the  trumpet  is  laid  on 
the  floor,  this  tube  is  secretly  slipped  into  the  small 
end  of  it.  This  tube  runs  into  the  cabinet  where  sits 
the  medium,  who  inserts  a  mouthpiece  and  does  the 
talking.  In  case  of  the  medium  hearing  any  sudden 
movement  among  the  spectators,  she  quickly  draws 
the  tube  into  the  cabinet,  and  conceals  it  in  a  pocket 
under  her  clothing. 

In  some  cases  the  trumpet  is  laid  on  a  chair  in  front 
of  the  cabinet  and  voices  seem  to  issue  from  it.  In  this 
case  there  is  no  connection,  but  the  medium  in  the  cab- 
inet has  a  second  telescopic  trumpet  concealed  under 
her  clothing.  When  the  curtain  is  dropped,  she  secures 
this  trumpet  and  extends  it,  holding  it  near  the  cur- 
tain directly  behind  the  other  one.    The  sounds  seem 


290  APPENDIX. 

to  listeners  outside  to  Issue  from  the  trumpet  on  the 
chair.  This  ilhision  is  perfect,  as  the  sounds  have  the 
tone  of  the  trumpet,  are  in  Hne  behind  the  one  in  view, 
and  the  attention  is  directed  to  the  trumpet  on  the 
chair  just  as  a  ventriloquist  directs  the  attention  of 
the  spectators  to  his  "figure." 

I  am  digressing  some,  as  these  last  methods  could 
not  have  been  used  in  the  case  the  Doctor  describes ; 
but  I  believe  the  reader  will  pardon  this  digression, 
for  the  sake  of  this  additional  information.  While  I 
am  dealing  with  the  subject  of  trumpet  seances,  inde- 
pendent voices  and  dark  seances,  I  shall  take  the 
liberty  of  describing  some  more  work  of  this  kind. 

When  a  medium  works  in  his  own  home,  it  is  an 
easy  matter  to  have  speaking  tubes  whose  openings 
are  masked  by  picture  moulding  or  other  objects. 
These  lead  to  the  confederate  who  can,  by  a  system 
of  switches,  send  the  voices  into  the  room  through 
any  or  all  of  the  tubes  at  will.  Such  sound  appears  to 
come  out  of  the  very  air  and  is  difficult  to  locate.  The 
origin  of  sound  is  difficult  to  locate  anyway,  and  in 
such  cases  it  is  much  more  so. 

At  one  time  I  heard  a  report  of  a  case  where  inde- 
pendent voices  followed  a  young  girl  out  in  the  open 
air,  and  would  on  occasions  converse  with  her.  A 
certain  party  accompanied  her  to  a  well,  and  heard  a 
voice  speak  out  in  the  open  air  and  address  her.  I  do 
not  know  if  such  report  were  entirely  true  or  not,  as 
the  opportunity  to  investigate  the  case  was  lost  when 
I  heard  of  it ;  but  the  idea  occurred  to  me  that  it  would 
be  very  easy  to  lay  a  small  iron  pipe  under  ground 
from  a  house,  and  have  it  terminate  in  a  well  near  the 
surface.  Its  termination  could  easily  be  masked  and" 
a  confederate  in  the  house  could  send  voices  into  the 


APPENDIX.  291 

top  of  the  well  at  will.  To  one  unacquainted  with  the 
secret,  the  voice  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  locate. 
Of  this  I  am  certain,  from  some  experiments  I  once 
conducted,  wherein  I  sent  voices  through  some  hun- 
dreds of  feet  of  pipe  which  ran  through  a  public  hitch- 
ing rack.  Passers-by  at  the  farther  end  would  think 
themselves  addressed  by  some  one  near  them,  and 
would  look  around  in  a  very  foolish  manner  in  search 
of  the  speaker.    We  boys  thought  this  great  sport. 

By  this  means,  voices  can  be  made  to  appear  on  a 
lawn  in  the  open  and  will  seem  very  mysterious  to  a 
small  party.  A  small  half-inch  pipe  can  be  laid  under 
the  ground  near  the  surface  and  terminate  under  an 
urn,  the  roots  of  a  tree,  or  even  in  the  grass  just  below 
the  level  of  the  earth.  It  can  be  kept  corked  to  pre- 
vent moisture  from  entering  when  not  in  use,  and  if 
the  grass  be  a  trifle  long  and  the  entrance  of  the  tube 
a  trifle  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  it  would  es- 
cape discovery.  Of  course  it  should  only  be  used  in 
the  evening,  in  a  dim  light,  mid  then  used  but  spar- 
ingly. If  two  or  three  of  these  were  located  in  differ- 
ent positions,  and  used  sparingly,  marvelous  reports 
would  go  abroad  of  the  mysterious  voices  heard  in 
the  open  air  by  persons  when  there.  After  using,  the 
cork  should  be  re-inserted,  a  little  moist  earth  placed 
over  it,  and  the  grass  re-arranged  and  sprinkled. 

I  have  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  in  Oldtown,  Ken- 
tucky, who  reports  to  me  a  seance  where  in  the  twi- 
light he  saw  a  trumpet  move  across  the  floor,  out  into 
the  yard  and  up  into  the  branches  of  the  trees.  I  have 
the  name  of  the  medium  who  produced  this  manifesta- 
tion. I  do  not  know  the  means  she  used,  but  I  know 
a  means  by  which  I  have  caused  other  articles  to  move 
across  the  floor.     The  secret  was  a  thread  pulled  by 


292  APPENDIX. 

a  concealed  assistant,  and  which  of  course  was  invis- 
ible. If  I  were  producing  this  manifestation,  I  should 
lay  a  strong  black  linen  or  silk  thread  on  the  floor, 
out  of  the  door,  on  the  lawn,  and  then  up  over  a  limb 
in  a  tree.  From  there  I  should  lead  it  to  a  concealed 
assistant,  who  at  the  proper  time  should  draw  it  in, 
I  would  have  a  soft  copper-wire  hook  on  the  end  of 
the  thread,  which  I  should  secretly  bend  around  the 
handle  of  the  trumpet  when  laying  it  on  the  floor. 
When  the  trumpet  should  catch  in  the  branches  of  the 
tree,  the  assistant  could,  by  pulling  on  the  thread, 
straighten  out  the  wire  hook,  drawing  it  in,  while  the 
trumpet  would  drop  to  the  ground.  In  case  the  trum- 
pet had  no  handle,  a  small  hole  near  the  rim  would 
attract  no  notice.  The  wire  hook  could  be  passed 
through  this  hole.  I  have  no  doubt  that  this  was  the 
means  employed. 

At  one  time  I  fitted  up  my  home  with  a  number  of 
mechanical  rappers  under  the  floor  in  different  posi- 
tions. The  threads  that  operated  them  all  entered  the 
room  through  some  tiny  holes  in  the  floor  back  of  a 
couch.  My  wife  lay  on  this  couch,  apparently  resting, 
and  secretly  manipulating  the  threads.  I  had  most 
marvelous  raps  which  would  seem  to  move  to  any 
position  asked  for  by  the  spectators,  and  would  an- 
swer questions  intelligently.  The  effect  was  very 
great,  although  I  always  afterwards  informed  my  spec- 
tators that  it  was  not  spirits.  I  had  one  set  of  strings 
which  caused  a  piano  to  voluntarily  strike  chords 
when  I  should  desire.  I  have  seen  nervous  ladies 
greatly  frightened  by  these  manifestations. 

Mediums  claim  that  spirits  have  a  horror  of  light- 
waves and  that  certain  manifestations  can  only  occur 
in  the  dark.    It  is  true  that  the  manipulating  spirit  has 


APPENDIX.  293 

a  horror  of  the  light,  and  that  certain  manifestations 
can  only  take  place  in  the  darkness.  If  any  one  will 
have  the  courage  at  such  times,  to  suddenly  flash  a 
pocket  electric  light  on  the  trumpet,  it  will  not  be 
necessary  for  him  to  be  a  performer  in  order  to  dis- 
cover the  secret  of  the  manifestations.  There  is  not 
a  reliable  report  in  the  country,  where  at  any  time  any 
one  suddenly  flashed  one  of  these  lights  on  a  trumpet 
seance,  that  he  did  not  find  the  medium  or  the  con- 
federates at  work  producing  the  manifestations  in  a 
very  simple  manner.  It  seems  to  me  that  if  in  any 
instance  such  a  phenomenon  were  genuine,  there  would 
some  time  be  a  case  where  these  exposers  would  find 
something  not  a  trick. 

A  lady  medium  from  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  recently 
informed  me,  that  the  dark  seance  is  rapidly  losing 
prestige  since  the  manufacture  of  the  pocket  electric 
light.  She  said  that  these  were  being  used  on  the 
trumpet  mediums  all  over  the  country  with  disastrous 
results,  and  that  the  profession  would  soon  have  to 
drift  into  other  channels  of  trickery.  She  also  told 
me  of  a  medium  who  uses  his  chandelier  to  bring 
voices  secretly  into  his  room ;  and  that  he  hangs  the 
trumpet  on  the  chandelier  and  the  voices  appear  to 
issue  from  it,  while  in  reality  they  issue  from  a  num- 
ber of  tiny  holes  in  different  parts  of  the  chandelier. 

I  look  at  the  question  of  spirit  communion  somewhat 
in  this  manner:  We  all  have  a  spirit  while  we  live. 
This  spirit  cannot  perform  a  physical  miracle.  For  it 
to  talk,  nature  has  found  it  necessary  to  develop  vocal 
organs.  Without  these  no  living  spirit  can  talk.  To 
move  objects,  physical  contact  and  force  are  necessary. 
Without  these,  no  living  spirit  can  move  objects.  Why 
should  any  disembodied  spirit,  (if  such  exist),  be  able 


294  APPENDIX. 

to  execute  any  act  which  it  could  not  execute  if  in  the 
body ;  or,  in  other  words,  why  should  it  be  able  to  per- 
form a  miracle? 

The  theory  of  certain  psychic  researchers  whom  I 
know  seems  to  be  something  like  this:  Spirits  of  the 
dead  can  only  manifest  themselves  through  the  organ- 
ism of  some  person  fitted  for  their  control.  Such 
organism  is  what  they  term  a  medium;  and  they  are 
very  doubtful  about  any  physical  manifestations  be- 
ing genuine. 

As  to  the  information  which  the  voices  gave  the 
Doctor,  I  am  not  in  a  position  to  judge ;  for  I  do  not 
know  what  opportunity  the  medium  may  have  had 
secretly  to  learn  the  history  of  those  present.  How- 
ever, many  tricks  are  used  successfully,  even  in  this 
feature  of  the  work.  David  P.  Abbott. 

SPIRIT    PORTRAITURE. 

Mr.  Bennett  to  The  Open  Court, 

To  THE  Editor  of  The  Open  Court  : 

I  am  deeply  interested  in  the  articles  by  Mr.  Abbott 
about  spirit  mediums,  because  I  have  been  investi- 
gating in  that  line  myself,  and  am  now  writing  to  ask 
you  to  have  Mr.  Abbott  explain  a  performance  that  is 
done  in  Chicago.  A  man  in  this  city  went  to  a  Mr. 
B.,  a  trumpet  and  also  clairvoyant  medium  of  Chicago, 
(he  has  been  here  and  is  one  that  I  have  criticized), 
and  in  a  seance  his  mother's  spirit  urged  him  to  get  her 
portrait  taken,  as  she  was  anxious  for  him  to  know 
how  she  looked  now.  The  medium  told  the  man  of  a 
lady  in  Chicago  that  could  take  spirit  portraits,  and  he 
called  on  her.  He  says  he  wrote  on  a  sheet  torn  from 
a  new  tablet  that  he  carried  with  him  asking  his  mother 


APPENDIX.  295 

if  she  would  come  and  sit  for  her  portrait.  This  sheet 
he  folded,  and  with  two  other  blank  ones  torn  from 
the  same  tablet,  put  into  an  envelope  and  held  it  under 
a  book  on  the  table.  He  had  done  all  this  by  instruc- 
tions from  the  lady,  but  she  sat  all  the  time  clear  across 
the  room  from  him.  She  talked  several  minutes  on 
other  topics,  then  told  him  his  message  was  ready. 
On  opening  the  envelope  the  two  blank  sheets  were 
written  full,  and  with  ink.  His  mother  consented  to 
sit.  So  the  medium  brought  out  a  canvas  about  18  by 
30  inches  stretched  on  a  fram^e,  and  hung  this  on  the 
wall  near  the  man  and  in  front  of  him.  Then  the  me- 
dium retired  across  the  room.  Soon  colors  began  to 
develop  on  the  canvas,  and  he  says  in  just  twenty 
minutes  by  his  watch  the  portrait  was  finished,  all  the 
colors  developing  from  a  clean,  white  canvas  before 
his  eyes,  and  no  other  person  near.  When  he  first 
touched  it  the  paint,  or  what  not,  was  still  green  and 
he  blurred  it.  So  he  had  to  leave  it  a  few  days  to  dry  be- 
fore having  it  sent  home.  When  it  arrived  it  so  pleased 
him  that  he  sent  the  medium's  price,  $40.00.  He  says 
it  does  not  resemble  his  mother  when  she  died,  (an 
old  lady),  but  thinks  it  resembles  her  when  she  was 
about  35,  and  she  assures  him  that  it  looks  like  her  as 
she  is  now. 

I  have  seen  the  picture,  and  should  call  it  an  oil 
painting  of  a  very  good  looking  woman  of  about  35. 

The  medium  who  encouraged  this  man  had  met  him 
in  this  city,  and  also  twice  in  Chicago  at  the  medium's 
home  or  office,  and  of  course  he  posted  the  artist  me- 
dium by  telephone  or  otherwise  as  to  the  man's  name, 
his  mother's  name  and  other  matters.  I  think  Mr. 
Abbott  has  already  explained  how  the  writing  is  done 
in  the  envelope.     But  how  do  they  develop  what  ap- 


296  APPENDIX. 

pears  to  be  an  oil  painting  from  a  clean  canves  right 
before  the  purchaser's  eyes?  There  is  another  por- 
trait in  this  vicinity  executed  by  the  same  Chicago 
medium  in  the  same  way  but  I  have  not  seen  that. 
But  I  am  told  it  is  a  fine  oil  painting.  Now  I  wish 
you  would  have  Mr.  Abbott  explain  this  portrait  paint- 
ing, and  expose  these  frauds  that  are  being  perpe- 
trated on  innocent  people  in  your  big  city. 

C.  W.  Bennett. 

COLDWATER,   MiCH. 

Mr.  Abbott  to  The  Open  Court. 

To  THE  Editor  of  The  Open  Court  : 

Your  letter  enclosing  one  from  Mr.  Bennett  came 
duly  to  hand.  I  think  I  know  the  name  of  the  medium 
or  mediums  to  whom  he  refers,  as  I  have  heard  of 
their  work  from  other  sources.  I  may  be  mistaken 
as  to  this,  as  there  are  possibly  others  producing  spirit 
portraits ;  but  at  least  I  have  heard  of  only  one  "firm" 
doing  this  style  of  work. 

Now  I  have  never  witnessed  the  production  of  one 
of  their  paintings,  and  to  do  so  would  be  quite  ex- 
pensive ;  so  I  could  hardly  tell  the  exact  means  they 
use.  However,  I  am  familiar  with  some  secrets  which 
are  doubtless  the  same,  or  about  the  same,  as  those 
that  they  employ. 

I  will  first  give  a  short  account  of  the  evolution  of 
the  "art"  of  producing  spirit  portraits.  Like  all  good 
tricks,  the  secrets  have  been  developed  by  a  process 
of  experiment  and  gradual  evolution. 

At  the  beginning  when  mediums  were  able  secretly 
to  secure  pictures  of  the  departed  friends  of  some  of 
their  subjects,  they  would  first  secretly  prepare  the 
pictures  and  then  produce  them  at  a  seance  with  very 


APPENDIX.  297 

Striking  effect.  At  this  time  a  cabinet  was  used  in  the 
production  of  the  pictures.  The  medium  would  allow 
the  cabinet  to  be  very  thoroughly  examined;  and,  if 
a  lady,  would  also  allow  a  committee  of  ladies  to 
examine  her  clothing.  Her  attendant  would  then  hand 
her  a  blank  canvas  fastened  onto  a  frame. 

The  medium  would  now  exhibit  this  canvas  to  each 
spectator  at  close  range,  showing  both  sides  of  it,  and 
would  remind  the  audience  that  there  were  no  appli- 
ances in  the  cabinet  or  in  her  clothing.  She  would 
then  retire  to  the  cabinet  for  a  few  moments,  after 
which  she  would  come  forth  with  the  canvas  still  on 
its  frame,  which  could  have  been  and  frequently  was 
marked ;  but  on  this  canvas  was  now  a  portrait  of  the 
"dear  one"  of  one  of  the  spectators.  This  portrait  was 
yet  hardly  dry. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  this  always  made  a  great 
impression  with  ardent  believers.  The  secret  was  very 
simple.  The  painting  was  first  prepared  on  canvas. 
This  canvas  was  then  placed  over  a  clean  canvas,  and 
the  two  were  tacked  to  a  frame.  The  clean  canvas 
underneath  kept  the  paint  from  showing  through, 
and  from  behind  this  appeared  as  an  unpainted  canvas. 
Next,  the  medium  tacked  a  clean  canvas  over  the 
picture  and  did  it  so  neatly  that  no  one  could  detect 
the  deception.  This  was  the  canvas  that  she  exhibited 
to  the  spectators. 

Now,  on  entering  the  cabinet,  she  simply  pulled  off 
the  top  canvas,  removed  the  few  tacks  that  held  it, 
and  secreted  the  same  in  a  pocket  under  her  dress. 
As  she  had  already  had  her  clothing  examined,  she 
need  not  submit  to  a  second  examination  afterwards. 
Now,  under  her  clothing,  around  her  waist,  was  a 
belt  next  to  her  skin,  this  had  a  tiny  pocket  in  it  con- 


298  APPENDIX. 

taining  a  small  phial  of  poppy  oil.  This  escaped  de- 
tection on  the  examination,  for  the  reason  that  the 
medium  appeared  rather  "modest"  and  the  committee 
did  not  make  too  close  an  examination  of  her  under- 
clothing. Now,  after  removing  the  top  canvas  she 
secured  the  poppy  oil  and  rubbed  it  over  the  painting. 
Then,  concealing  the  phial,  she  came  forth  from  the 
cabinet  v^ith  the  painting  still  damp. 

Some  mediums  merely  covered  the  painting  with  a 
solution  of  zinc  white  and  water.  This  effectually 
concealed  the  picture,  if  only  exhibited  from  a  short 
distance.  This  could  be  removed  by  the  judicious 
use  of  a  damp  sponge. 

After  this  certain  mediums  invented  a  way  to  put 
portraits  on  a  slate,  and  then  by  adroit  substitution, 
to  introduce  this  prepared  slate  into  a  stack  of  exam- 
ined ones;  they  could  thus  sometimes  get  for  a  sitter 
a  portrait  of  a  departed  relative  instead  of  a  message, 
or  they  could  produce  both.  Some  mediums  use  a 
very  clever  system  of  substitution  of  canvases,  and 
I  have  heard  somewhere  of  a  mechanical  easel  de- 
signed especially  for  substituting  them. 

Now  there  was  quite  a  demand  for  spirit  portraits 
that  the  subjects  could  see  appear  on  the  canvas  be- 
fore their  very  eyes.  Believers  are  never  satisfied 
and  are  continually  looking  for  stronger  and  stronger 
tests.  The  mediums  are  thus  ever  forced  along  the 
road  of  improvement  in  their  methods. 

Mediums  now  began  experimenting  with  chemicals, 
to  discover  those  that  could  be  put  on  a  canvas  and 
that  would  remain  invisible  until  developed.  A  num- 
ber of  chemicals  were  found ;  and  the  pictures  formed 
did  not  resemble  those  made  with  oil  paints,  for  they 


APPENDIX.  299 

were  really  mere  chemical  stains.  They  thus  appeared 
to  be  more  ''spiritual." 

I  will  give  the  names  of  a  few  chemicals  that  have 
been  used  in  this  manner.  If  a  canvas  of  unbleached 
muslin  have  a  portrait  painted  on  it  with  the  solutions 
given  below,  it  will  appear  to  be  unprepared,  as  the 
chemicals  will  be  invisible  when  dry.  If  sprayed  with 
a  weak  solution  of  tincture  of  iron,  the  picture  grad- 
ually appears.  Sulphocyanide  of  potassium  is  used 
for  red,  ferrocyanide  of  potassium  for  blue,  and  tan- 
nin for  black. 

If  preferred  the  following  solutions  may  be  used: 
Sulphate  of  iron  for  blue,  nitrate  of  bismuth  for  yel- 
low, and  sulphate  of  copper  for  brown.  In  this  case 
spray  with  a  solution  of  prussiate  of  potash. 

Originally,  when  these  were  used,  a  canvas  was  first 
exhibited  and  shown  to  be  apparently  free  from  prepa- 
ration. This  canvas  was  then  dampened  and  placed 
on  an  easel  in  front  of  a  cabinet.  A  light  was  placed 
at  such  an  angle  back  of  the  canvas  as  to  enable  the 
spectators  to  see  through  it.  The  other  lights  were 
then  lowered,  and  the  music  started,  while  the  me- 
dium entered  the  cabinet  back  of  the  canvas.  Then 
through  a  tiny  hole  ii;i  the  cabinet  curtain,  the  medium, 
from  behind,  using  an  atomizer,  secretly  sprayed  the 
canvas  with  the  developing  solution.  The  portrait 
gradually  made  its  appearance  before  the  spectator's 
eyes.  The  atomizer  had  to  be  kept  screwed  up  tight, 
and  the  music  covered  the  slight  noise  which  it  made. 

A  case  is  reported  wherein  a  medium,  after  sitting 
for  a  time  without  results,  proposed  to  hurry  up  the 
appearance  of  the  portrait  by  making  magnetic  passes 
over  the  canvas.    This  he  did ;  and  at  the  same  time 


300 


APPENDIX. 


he  secretly  sprayed  the  canvas  from  an  atomizer  con- 
cealed in  his  sleeve. 

Before  giving  my  ideas  of  the  methods  employed  by 
the  Chicago  mediums,  I  will  quote  an  extract  from  a 
letter  I  have  received  from  a  gentleman  in  Tacoma, 
Washington.  This  gentleman  has  an  uncle  who  ob- 
tained a  portrait  of  his  little  girl  who  is  dead.  The 
passage  reads  as  follows:  "My  uncle  is  certain  that 
there  was  no  fraud  used  in  the  production  of  the  large 
wall  portrait  which  he  secured  of  his  little  girl,  as  he 
and  other  members  of  his  family  saw  the  picture  grad- 
ually appear  on  the  canvas,  which  was  placed  in  a 
window.  There  was  no  possible  chance  of  fraud,  he 
avers.  He  has  shown  this  picture,  which  is  quite 
artistic,  to  many  prominent  persons,  and  before  some 
local  literary  bodies.  The  portrait  is  a  reproduction 
of  a  cabinet-size  photograph  which  he  had  with  him 
at  the  time,  but  to  further  mystify  him  there  are  some 
slight  changes  in  the  picture.  Although  he  is  very 
intelligent,  he  says  that  this  picture  was  never  made 
by  mortal  hands,  or  with  paint  and  brush." 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  this  description  is  so  meagre 
of  details.  I  should  like  to  have  known  what  oppor- 
tunity there  might  have  been  for  secretly  photograph- 
ing his  picture  or  copying  it;  whether  he  had  more 
than  the  one  sitting  or  not;  if  the  photograph  were 
shown  to  the  medium  or  left  the  sitter's  hands  at  all ; 
how  soon  after  his  arrival  with  the  photograph  he  re- 
ceived the  portrait;  whether  the  portrait  appears  to 
be  in  oil  paints,  or  is  merely  chemical  stains,  etc.  It 
is,  however,  doubtful  if  one  who  was  hot  familiar  with 
the  importance  of  these  points  would  have  noticed 
these  things  at  all,  to  say  nothing  of  remembering 
such  apparently  insignificant  details. 


APPENDIX.  301 

In  some  of  the  advertising  matter  of  the  mediums 
to  whom  I  refer,  I  have  seen  some  statements  the  sub- 
stance of  which  follows :  They  do  not  care  to  "pander 
to  the  caprice  of  carping  skeptics" ;  they  desire  to  give 
their  services  to  honest  investigators,  and  prefer  to 
have  an  appointment  made  in  advance  either  by  tele- 
phone or  otherwise  when  a  sitting  is  desired ;  they  de- 
sire to  know,  also,  beforehand,  what  is  the  nature  of 
the  sitting  required  of  them.  All  of  this  is  perfectly 
proper  for  the  convenience  of  the  parties,  but  the 
latter  part  of  it  is  certainly  suggestive  of  preparation. 

They  also  state  that,  originally,  some  dozen  years 
ago,  when  they  began  developing  this  phase  of  me- 
diumship,  they  had  to  produce  the  portraits  in  a  closed 
cabinet,  or  in  a  dark  box ;  but  that  of  late  they  have  be- 
come so  highly  developed  that  the  portraits  are  pro- 
duced in  the  daylight ;  that  now  the  subj  ect  selects  the 
canvas  and  the  same  is  placed  in  the  window  with  the 
top  leaning  against  the  window  sash ;  the  blind  is  then 
drawn  down  to  the  canvas  top,  and  the  draperies  are 
arranged  so  as  to  let  in  no  light  except  through  the 
canvas ;  all  other  light  is  excluded  from  the  room. 
Now,  it  is  quite  evident  that  the  canvas  might  be 
sprayed  from  a  concealed  mechanism  in  the  window 
casing.  If  so,  the  sitter  could  have  no  idea  of  what  is 
employed,  for  under  such  conditions  one  could  see 
through  the  canvas  but  faintly. 

Let  us  suppose  that  in  the  window  casing,  concealed 
by  the  wood,  are  some  tubes  connected  with  a  pressure 
tank  of  the  developing  chemical.  Let  us  suppose  that 
a  number  of  tiny  nipples  are  located  along  these  tubes 
and  almost  penetrate  the  wood  of  the  casing ;  that  then 
there  are  some  pin-holes  in  the  wood  over  each  nipple ; 
that  each  nipple  is  set  at  the  proper  angle  to  spray  the 


302  APPENDIX. 

canvas  at  the  proper  places.  Now  when  a  concealed 
confederate  turns  on  the  pressure,  it  is  evident  that 
the  picture  will  gradually  appear.  Other  mechanisms 
may  be  used.  The  lower  part  of  the  window  casing, 
known  as  the  sill,  may  have  a  revolving  trap  that  re- 
volves behind  the  canvas,  bringing  up  into  position  a 
spraying  mechanism ;  or  more  probably,  that  is  merely 
pushed  up  out  of  the  way,  so  as  to  allow  the  tiny  nipples 
which  are  trained  on  the  canvas  like  miniature  guns, 
to  begin  operating. 

It  is  also  possible  that  the  mediums  dampen  the  can- 
vas before  the  experiment,  with  a  sponge  saturated 
with  the  developer,  under  the  pretext  of  rendering  it 
transparent,  or  of  causing  the  "spirit  paints"  to  ad- 
here. In  such  case  a  developer  might  be  used  that 
would  act  very  slowly,  and  then  no  spraying  mechan- 
ism would  be  required. 

It  would  be  easy  for  the  artist  to  prepare  several 
canvases  all  alike  before  the  sitting,  so  as  to  give  the 
sitter  free  choice  of  canvases.  The  prices  charged, 
viz.,  forty  dollars,  would  justify  the  expense. 

Naturally,  mediums  following  this  work  as  a  pro- 
fession and  doing  nothing  else,  would  do  much  ex- 
perimenting, and  would  greatly  perfect  their  methods. 
They  would  doubtless  learn  to  use  many  chemicals,  and 
could  thus  produce  the  beautifu'  tints  in  which  the 
pictures  are  now  made.  It  is  even  possible  that  no 
spraying  mechanism  is  used  at  present,  but  that  they 
have  discovered  chemicals  which  develop  under  the 
daylight  which  enters  at  the  zvindozv.  The  last  would 
be  the  ideal  method.  To  learn  just  what  chemicals 
they  use,  an  analysis  of  the  painted  canvas  would  be 
required. 

Now,  in  the  aforesaid  advertising  matter,  I  find  a 


APPENDIX.  303 

Statement  the  substance  of  which  is  this :  Spirits  con- 
tinue to  develop  on  the  ''other  side,"  therefore  the 
portraits  do  not  always  look  as  the  persons  did  in 
life ;  that  when  a  perfect  likeness  is  desired,  it  is  well 
to  bring  a  photograph  for  the  sitter  to  look  at  during 
the  sitting,  and  upon  which  to  concentrate  his  psy- 
chic powers.  This  is  to  establish  proper  conditions 
so  as  to  enable  the  "spirit  artist"  to  make  a  good  repro- 
duction. 

Now,  suppose  that  when  the  sitter  comes  with  a 
photograph,  while  he  is  holding  it  and  looking  at 
it,  a  secret  "snap-shot"  of  it  be  taken;  or  that  the 
artist  (mortal)  view  it  through  a  small  telescope  from 
some  concealed  position.  It  is  evident  that  after  a 
short  time  the  canvases  could  be  brought  in  for  the 
sitter  to  select  one,  and  the  sitting  could  begin.  It 
might  be  necessary  to  make  a  failure  at  first,  and  make 
a  second  trial  for  a  portrait  later,  as  such  expedients 
are  frequently  resorted  to  in  mediumistic  work. 

In  case  no  photograph  is  brought,  then  the  mediums 
doubtless  adroitly  get  a  good  description  of  the  de- 
parted, and  the  portrait  looks  "as  the  spirit  does  now 
in  spirit  life" ;  so  that  there  is  but  a  very  faint  resem- 
blance. I  know  a  medium  who  told  me  that  he  was 
personally  acquainted  with  the  "fine  artist"  who  pre- 
pares these  canvases.  He  told  me  the  artist's  name 
and  said  that  he  had  talked  with  him  frequently.  The 
artist  is  of  national  fame,  and  could  not  afford  to  have 
his  name  known  in  connection  with  this  work.  Un- 
fortunately, I  neglected  to  write  down  the  name,  and 
have  forgotten  it. 

In  the  aforesaid  advertising  matter,  I  saw  some 
statement  about  leaving  the  portrait  to  be  completed 
after  the  sitting.     It  will  also  be  noticed  in  Mr.  Ben- 


304  APPENDIX. 

nett's  letter,  that  the  portrait  to  which  he  refers  was 
"green"  or  damp,  and  was  left  to  dry  and  be  called  for 
later.  How  easy  it  would  be,  in  such  case  for  the 
artist  to  copy  the  picture  in  oil  on  another  canvas,  or 
even  to  go  over  the  original  canvas  with  a  coat  of  oil 
paints.  This  may  be  done  in  some  instances.  It  will 
be  noticed  that  Mr.  Bennett  says  the  canvas  was  hung 
against  the  wall.  A  spraying  mechanism  could  have 
been  concealed  in  the  wall  as  easily  as  in  the  window 
casing;  or  there  might  even  be  a  sliding  panel  in  the 
wall.  In  the  case  Mr.  Bennett  mentions,  the  fact  that  • 
the  coloring  material  was  yet  ''green,"  would  indicate 
the  use  of  a  spraying  chemical. 

The  reader  may  rest  assured  that  the  coloring  matter 
on  the  portraits  was  not  created  by  any  ''spirit"  espe- 
cially for  the  occasion,  but  that  it  was  in  existence  be- 
fore the  sitting,  that  it  was  applied  to  the  canvas,  not 
by  a  spirit,  but  by  secret  means,  which  are  very  simple 
and  commonplace  when  understood.  If  one  will  but 
view  such  things  without  superstition,  it  will  be  much 
easier  to  realize  that  they  are  simply  clever  trickery. 

David  P.  Abbott. 

Omaha^  Neb. 

Mr.  Bennett  to  Mr.  Abbott. 
Dear  Sir: 

After  writing  to  you  the  first  time  I  heard  of  two 
other  spirit  pictures  in  this  vicinity,  and  the  weather 
moderating  I  have  been  able  to  go  and  see  them.  I 
tried  to  learn  all  the  points  you  requested  me  to  notice, 
and  I  am  frank  to  say  that,  with  these  two  there  are 
several  features  your  explanation  to  The  Open  Court 
will  not  explain.  The  mediums  claim  they  do  not 
know  what  the  paint  is,  but  they  say  a  wet  sponge 


APPENDIX.  305 

will  wipe  it  all  ofif,  leaving  the  canvas  white.  If  that 
is  so(  ?)  of  course  it  cannot  be  oil.  It  will  be  tedious 
for  me  to  tell  you  all  the  details,  but  that  is  the  only 
way  I  can  make  it  plain  to  you. 

The  picture  I  had  seen  when  I  first  wrote  you  was 
owned  by  a  Mr.  M.  in  this  city ;  a  portrait  of  his 
mother,  not  as  he  knew  her  but  as  she  looks  now,  and 
that  left  a  margin,  as  did  most  of  the  other  things, 
so  that  your  ''reply"  would  be  sufficient.  But  now  Mr. 
M.  has  a  picture  of  a  daughter  that  died  at  birth.  It  is 
not  only  a  beautiful  work  of  art,  as  I  judge,  but  it  is 
angelic  in  form  and  features.  But  the  picture  looks 
like  a  girl  of  fourteen,  while  the  child  was  born  little 
less  than  nine  years  ago.  The  mother  sees  this  error, 
but  says  spirits  develop  faster. (?) 

The  child  had  come  to  M.  in  several  sittings,  I  am 
not  sure  if  with  other  mediums  or  not,  (he  and  his 
wife  and  little  son  have  all  developed  as  rapping, 
writing  and  planchett  mediums  within  the  past  year), 
but  think  it  did.  It  told  them  they  could  get  its  pic- 
ture. So  he  went  to  Chicago  again  this  winter,  taking 
a  well-known  business  man  w4th  him.  At  the  hotel 
M.  took  four  leaves  from  a  common  note-sized  tablet 
that  lay  on  the  office  table,  folded  them  and  put  them 
in  an  envelope  with  hotel  card  on  the  top  corner,  sealed 
it,  put  a  one  cent  stamp  over  the  seal,  and  then  ran  a 
pin  through  the  corner  so  as  to  mark  the  sheets.  I 
will  say  here  that  two  of  the  sheets  have  no  pinhole, 
and  M.  says  he  presumes  he  did  not  fold  them  exactly 
even,  and  the  hole  was  made  very  near  the  corner 
edges  and  so  missed  two.  He  put  the  envelope  in  his 
pocket  and  the  two  men  went  to  the  mediums  where, 
by  their  directions,  he  put  the  envelope  on  a  slate  that 
lay  on  the  table,  then  put  another  slate  over  it,  and  held 


306  APPENDIX. 

them  together  about  ten  minutes,  the  mediums  not  being 
near,  and  conversing  on  other  topics  in  the  mean  time. 
Then  one  told  him  his  message  was  ready.  He  took 
the  envelope  and  put  it  in  his  pocket,  without  opening, 
though  the  mediums  protested,  wanting  to  know  them- 
selves what  was  in  it.  But  he  said  he  was  not  going 
to  open  it  until  he  got  home,  as  his  wife  was  skeptical, 
and  if  there  was  anything  in  it  worth  while  he  wanted 
her  to  see  it. 

M.  then  told  them  he  wanted  a  picture  of  his  dead 
daughter  taken  by  the  side  of  his  living  son,  now 
about  twelve  years  old.  They  told  him  they  could  not 
include  the  boy  without  having  his  photo  or  having 
him  present ;  but  the  photo  need  not  be  shown  but  kept 
in  his  pocket — only  so  it  was  in  the  room.  So  they 
agreed  on  a  less  price  for  that  picture,  and  later  he  is 
going  with  his  son  to  have  both  painted  together  at  a 
reduced  rate.  Now  mark  the  frailties  of  human  testi- 
mony: M.  says  his  friend  selected  at  random  the  can- 
vas from  a  large  pile  lying  in  a  corner  of  an  adjoining 
room,  all  stretched  on  frames  of  different  sizes,  each 
person  selecting  the  size  he  wants  to  pay  for ;  and  that 
his  friend  put  the  canvas  on  a  window  sill,  and  then 
they  both  sat  down,  and  in  ten  minutes  the  picture 
was  completed,  the  mediums  not  being  near  them. 
His  friend  tells  me  (separately)  that  M.  selected  the 
canvas  himself  and  put  it  in  the  window.  He  did  not 
say  anything  about  the  mediums,  but  when  I  asked 
him  if  they  did  not  sit  on  each  side  of  the  picture,  he 
at  first  said,  "No,"  and  then  he  said,  "Perhaps  they 
did!"  Now  in  the  other  picture  to  be  described  later 
they  sat  on  each  side  of  the  canvas,  each  holding  it 
by  one  side,  and  the  window  shade  was  pulled  down 
to  the  top  of  the  canvas,  "so  as  not  to  blind  the  eyes 


APPENDIX.  307 

of  the  observers."  And  this  is  the  way  they  picture  it 
out  in  their  catalogue  which  illustrates  and  explains 
their  methods  and  terms. 

When  M.  told  me  about  his  mother's  picture  he  said 
they  hung  it  on  the  wall,  and  that  caused  you  to  ask 
me  several  questions.  But  now  M.  tells  me  they  put 
it  in  the  window,  and  they  sat  one  on  each  side  hold- 
ing it.    See  how  he  varies. 

In  the  former  case  they  kept  the  picture  a  few  days 
to  dry,  and  that  gave  you  an  idea  that  they  could  re- 
paint it.  But  in  this  case  they  immediately  delivered 
it  to  M.  and  he  brought  it  home.  He  had  requested 
that  a  flower  be  included  in  the  hair  of  the  girl,  and 
that  her  name  that  has  been  given  her  since  she  passed 
over,  be  on  the  picture.  Neither  were  on  it  and  he 
complained.  They  told  him  it  would  be  all  right  when 
he  got  home ;  and  sure  enough  when  he  unwrapped  it 
at  home  two  white  spots  were  in  the  hair,  (golden  locks 
hanging  in  curls,  the  flower  being  just  over  the  right 
forehead),  and  about  two  days  afterwards  as  the 
mother  was  looking  at  it  the  name  gradually  devel- 
oped, in  capitals  about  a  quarter  inch  tall,  Jesemine. 
Note  the  spelling.  When  he  arrived,  M.  was  surprised 
to  find  his  son  lying  on  a  couch,  not  well  enough  to 
go  to  school.  He  gave  the  envelope  to  the  boy  to 
open,  and  all  the  four  sheets  were  written  full  on  one 
side  with  ink.  (I  forgot  to  say  that  they  put  a  small 
tin  cover  on  top  of  the  top  slate  with  a  little  ink  in  it.) 
The  first  sheet  was  signed  ''J^^imine."  (Two  i's.) 
Among  other  things  she  said,  "Do  not  worry  about 
Ira's  sickness,  (the  boy's  name)  he  will  have  a  short 
run  of  fever,  but  get  well  soon  if  you  take  good  care 
of  him."  Now  when  M.  left  home  the  boy  was  well, 
and  he  did  not  know  he  was  sick  until  his  return — 


^C)S  APENDIX. 

hence  he  says  the  mediums  could  not  have  learned  it 
from  him  by  mind-reading.  And  he  had  not  told  them 
the  boy's  name.  Next  followed  a  longer  letter  from  one 
signed  "Fulton,"  who  told  him  several  things  about 
his  business  and  patents.  M.  has  invented  a  drying 
kiln,  and  made  several  patented  improvements,  and 
not  having  sufficient  money  to  do  it  all  and  manu- 
facture, took  in  some  partners  in  Cleveland,  where  it 
is  manufactured.  He  is  having  some  trouble  with 
these  partners  and  this  Fulton  gave  advice  about  that. 
He  says  this  Fulton  (he  believes  it  to  be  the  steamboat 
man)  has  told  him  all  he  knew  about  his  invention 
from  first  to  all  the  improvements.  He  says  he  has 
never  told  the  mediums  about  his  business  nor  about 
this  Fulton.  A  third  letter  was  from  his  mother,  but 
signed  "Per  E.  D.  G."  as  all  her  letters  are,  but  he 
does  not  know  himself  who  E.  D.  G.  is.  They  say 
the  girl  has  taken  the  name  of  the  flower,  Jasmine,  but 
khe  mother  noticed  that  it  was  spelled  differently  in 
the  letter  from  the  picture,  and  neither  right  if  meant 
for  that  flower.  There  are  only  two  spires  of  the 
flower  in  the  picture,  just  two  white  leaflets  pointing 
outwards  from  each  other.  But  the  picture  is  very 
handsome,  and  an  ornament  to  the  room,  even  though 
fictitious.  The  difficulties  in  my  mind  in  this  case 
that  you  do  not  explain  are  that  the  canvas  is  selected 
at  random,  so  they  could  not  prepare  it  in  advance; 
they  delivered  it  at  once,  so  they  did  not  have  a  chance 
to  paint  it  afterwards ;  and  the  things  told  in  the  letter 
about  the  boy's  sickness,  etc.,  which  M.  says  he  kept 
in  his  pocket  all  the  time. 

The  other  case  is  a  Mrs.  B.,  whose  son,  sixteen  years 
old,  died  last  April  from  measles,  followed  by  pneu- 
monia.    She  is  a  Baptist  and  had  no  belief  in  spirits. 


APPENDIX.  309 

but  was  so  grieved  about  her  loss  that  some  friends 
advised  her  to  consult  a  medium,  which  she  did. 
Among  them  was  the  one  from  Chicago,  that  I  men- 
tioned to  you  before,  and  who  I  believe  is  a  "runner" 
for  the  artist  mediums.  Some  one  advised  her  to  go 
and  get  his  picture  and  in  one  sitting  the  boy  told  her 
he  would  go  with  her  so  she  could  get  an  exact  like- 
ness. She  arrived  in  Chicago  on  Saturday  and  told 
them  what  she  had  come  for.  They  told  her  there 
were  so  many  ahead  of  her  that  if  she  did  not  have  ob- 
jections to  come  next  day,  Sunday.  She  consented, 
and  then  they  suggested  that  she  ask  for  a  letter  from 
the  hoy,  and  she  tore  two  leaves  from  a  blank  tablet 
they  had,  and  they  gave  her  an  envelope  in  which  she 
placed  them,  and  then  she  placed  them  between  the 
two  slates,  and  they  had  her  put  two  large  rubber 
bands  around  them,  one  each  way.  She  asked  why 
they  did  that,  and  they  replied  so  that  if  she  were  a 
skeptic  she  could  see  that  they  did  not  do  the  work.  On 
Sunday  she  went  as  agreed,  but  they  were  still  having 
more  that  were  ahead  of  her  (she  says),  and  after 
visiting  some  time  she  left.  She  assures  me  that  she 
did  not  tell  them  anything  about  her  boy,  his  name, 
description,  etc.,  at  any  of  these  interviews.  On  Mon- 
day she  went  and  they  not  only  got  the  picture  but 
also  gave  her  another  long  letter,  (I  think  six  note 
sheets  written  on  one  side)  the  paper  being  taken  from 
a  tablet  as  before,  and  put  into  an  envelope,  sealed, 
put  between  two  slates,  etc.,  as  before.  I  have  seen 
both  letters.  The  penmanship  in  each  is  the  same, 
and  very  similar  to  that  in  M.'s  letter  signed  "Fulton." 
In  these  letters  he  says,  among  other  things,  "Do  not 
mourn  because  I  did  not  see  sister  before  I  died.  I 
immediately  went  and  saw  her  after  I  passed  out  of 


3IO  APPENDIX. 

the  body.  And  I  am  near  you  all  and  see  you  every 
day.  I  am  also  pursuing  my  studies  just  the  same 
as  when  in  school,  only  it  is  not  so  hard  now  for  me 
to  learn  my  lessons."  Now,  just  before  he  died  he 
asked  to  see  his  sister  who  was  also  dangerously  sick 
in  another  room,  but  the  doctor  forbade  their  carrying 
her  to  him,  and  he  died  without  seeing  her.  How  did 
the  mediums  know  of  this  incident?  Again  he  says, 
"Goldie  is  past  suffering  now.  She  is  here  with  me 
all  the  time ;  we  are  soul-mates  now  and  very  happy 
together."  Now  Goldie  was  a  little  girl  sweetheart  of 
his  when  the  family  lived  in  another  state  some  years 
before.  The  day  before  the  boy  died  the  girl  got 
burned,  and  after  much  suffering  died  in  June ;  the 
boy  died  in  April.  The  mother  assures  me  that  not 
even  any  of  the  neighbors  knew  of  this  girl  friend, 
nor  of  her  tragic  death — much  less  could  these  me- 
diums have  known  it.  Again,  *'Do  not  worry  over 
that  money.  Use  it  for  something  that  will  be  useful 
to  you,  and  remember  it  as  a  present  from  me."  Now, 
for  several  days  before  his  sickness  he  left  school  to 
work  for  a  neighboring  farmer,  and  the  mother  thinks 
that  work  helped  to  cause  his  death.  So  she  has  kept 
the  money  he  earned  in  his  pocket  book  just  as  he  left 
it.  She  says  none  of  the  neighbors  knew  she  was 
keeping  it,  much  less  the  mediums.  These  are  the 
most  peculiar  features  of  these  letters. 

When  the  picture  was  finished  she  told  them  she  was 
sorry  that  he  did  not  write  his  name  on  it,  and  im- 
mediately the  name  "Harry"  appeared  on  his  coat 
sleeve.  Then  she  was  sorry  that  she  did  not  ask  that 
some  pin  or  jewel  be  put  on  his  neck-tie,  and  imme- 
diately a  little  yellow  crescent  developed  in  the  knot 
of  his  tie.    She  says  the  tie,  collar  and  clothing  are  just 


APPENDIX.  311 

like  what  he  wore  when  in  best  dress.  She  tells  me 
that  the  picture  is  a  good  likeness  of  her  boy,  and  that 
all  the  neighbors  think  so  too.  She  carried  to  Chicago 
a  photo  of  this  boy  with  his  sister  and  brother,  a 
group  of  three,  Harry  being  the  oldest,  but  all  taken 
when  he  was  twelve ;  but  she  did  not  take  that  photo 
from  her  pocket,  she  says.  I  noticed  that  in  that  on 
the  photo  Harry  had  his  hair  parted  on  the  left  side, 
while  in  the  spirit  picture  it  is  parted  in  the  middle. 
His  mother  said  that  for  the  last  four  years  he  had 
practiced  parting  it  in  the  middle.  So  the  mediums 
did  not  imitate  the  photo  she  had  with  her,  whether 
they  saw  it  or  not.  Now  ''Harry"  was  the  name  that 
developed  on  the  picture  and  it  was  the  name  signed 
on  both  the  letters  written  before  the  picture  was 
made.     She  is  positive  she  did  not  tell  his  name. 

I  will  not  longer  weary  you,  but  do  not  see  how  I 
could  describe  what  I  have  seen  much  briefer.  To  be 
more  explicit  in  replying  to  your  questions :  The  can- 
vas is  selected  by  the  applicant,  and  so  it  does  not 
seem  apparent  how  they  can  be  prepared  in  advance 
for  each  applicant,  as  in  these  cases  one  was  for  a 
child  that  died  at  birth,  and  the  other  a  boy  at  sixteen. 
If  the  canvases  were  prepared  with  chemicals  before- 
hand, the  applicant  might  select  one  that  was  pre- 
pared for  an  old  person,  etc.  The  canvas  is  set  in  a 
window,  the  mediums  sitting  on  each  side,  each  hold- 
ing to  one  side  of  it.  The  window  shade  is  turned 
down  to  the  top  of  the  canvas.  The  canvases  are  not 
dampened  before  the  sitting.  How  do  these  mediums 
find  out  names  and  conditions  so  as  to  make  them 
appear  in  letters  and  on  pictures,  and  tell  such  things 
as  about  the  sweetheart  Goldie? 

These  people  here  tell  me  that  scientists  and  chem- 


312  APPENDIX. 

ists  have  tested  those  pictures,  and  analyzed  the  paints, 
and  been  unable  to  find  what  they  are.  The  mediums 
of  course  tell  them  this ; — they  do  not  know  it  from 
chemists  themselves.  The  mediums  say  they  do  not 
know  what  the  paints  are  themselves.  It  is  done  by 
the  spirits,  of  course,  and  how  should  they  know  what 
material  the  spirits  use(  ?)  ! 

I  really  hope  you  will  succeed  in  exposing  this  fea- 
ture of  spiritism,  and  that  I  shall  be  able  to  give  the 
results  to  my  readers  not  far  in  the  future.     If  I  can 
in  any  way  be  of  farther  aid  to  you  command  me. 
Yours  for  truth, 

COLDWATER^   MiCH.  C.   W.  BeNNETT. 

*      *      * 

In  a  subsequent  letter,  in  referring  to  a  trumpet  me- 
dium, Mr.  Bennett  says : 

*T  want  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
the  same  B.  of  Chicago  that  I  had  mentioned  as  the 
one  I  believed  was  a  "runner"  for  the  portrait  me- 
diums. This  helps  to  confirm  my  suspicions.  This 
man  has  been  here  several  times  since  that  time  M. 
met  him,  and  had  ample  opportunities  to  get  all  the 
information  he  needed  about  M.  to  enable  the  mediums 
to  make  his  two  pictures.  It  was  B.  also  that  first 
suggested  (by  spirit  talk,  of  course)  to  that  woman  to 
get  a  picture  of  her  boy." 

Second  Letter  from  Mr.  Abbott. 

To  THE  Editor  of  The  Open  Court  : 

I  am  in  receipt  of  this  second  letter  from  Mr.  Ben- 
net,  and  I  can  but  say  that  it  only  confirms  me  more 
strongly  in  my  opinion  that  my  explanation  is  the 
correct  one.  This  letter  introduces  some  new  features 
to  be  explained.    One  is  the  slate  and  billet  test.    An- 


APPENDIX.  313 

Other  is  the  means  by  which  the  mediums  secured  the 
secret  information.    These  I  will  treat  separately. 

Now  first  in  regard  to  the  portraits.  I  am  now  quite 
certain  that  a  spraying  mechanism  is  used  and  that  it 
is  concealed  in  the  window  casing.  Believers  will  ac- 
knowledge that  the  coloring  matter  is  applied  while 
the  canvas  is  in  the  window.  I  agree  with  them.  The 
difference  is  this,  the  believers  think  that  it  is  created 
for  the  especial  purpose  and  applied  by  an  invisible, 
immaterial,  spirit  artist,  who  devotes  most  of  his  time 
to  the  business  so  as  to  enable  some  mediums  to  make 
a  living,  and  also  to  convince  more  strongly  than  ever 
good  believers.  I  think  the  coloring  matter  is  manu- 
factured by  mortal  man,  and  that  a  portion  of  it  is 
applied  to  the  canvas  in  an  invisible  spray  while  in  the 
window.  I  think  that  part  of  it  is  applied  beforehand 
by  a  mortal  artist  in  secret,  and  that  it  is  invisible  until 
developed. 

The  portraits  furnished  Mr.  M.,  who  did  not  have 
pictures  to  be  reproduced,  do  not  resemble  the  spirits 
when  in  life.  These  canvases  could  be  selected  from 
the  stock  canvases,  which  are  always  on  hand  ready 
prepared.  He  would  not  have  to  wait  for  his  sitting. 
The  canvases  from  which  he  selected  need  not  all  have 
the  same  picture  on  them.  Each  one  of  the  stock 
from  which  he  selected  could  have  on  it  an  invisible 
portrait  of  a  girl  of  about  the  right  age,  and  it  would 
make  little  difference  which  one  he  should  select;  for 
he  could  not  tell,  anyway,  how  his  daughter  would 
look  when  nine  years  old.  Doubtless,  the  stock  can- 
vases contain  portraits  of  girls  of  varying  age,  and  the 
confederate  in  placing  a  number  of  them  in  the  ad- 
joining room,  would  naturally  use  some  bearing  por- 
traits of  girls  of  not  quite  the  right  age.     This  evi- 


314  APPENDIX. 

dently  took  place,  and  the  gentleman  happened  to 
choose  one  of  a  girl  of  about  fourteen  years  of  age. 
This  made  little  difference,  for  the  credulity  of  believ- 
ers always  supplies  a  ready  explanation  for  such  var- 
iations. The  same  explanation  will  apply  to  the  gentle- 
man's selection  of  a  canvas  for  the  portrait  of  his 
mother. 

In  the  lady's  case,  the  portrait  must  resemble  a  boy 
who  recently  died,  and  must  resemble  him  nearly 
enough  to  be  recognized.  In  this  case  a  picture  must 
be  taken  to  the  medium's  house  with  the  sitter.  Now 
notice  that  this  lady  is  not  given  a  sitting  until  her 
third  visit.  I  am  quite  sure  that  the  "special  canvases" 
had  to  be  prepared  for  her,  and  that  the  artist  had  not 
completed  them  when  she  made  her  second  visit.  Also 
notice,  that  when  the  portrait  for  the  lady  was  finished, 
she  expressed  regret  that  her  son's  name  was  not  on 
the  picture;  after  which  it  appeared.  Then  she  re- 
gretted that  there  was  no  pin  in  his  tie,  whereupon  one 
immediately  appeared.  Notice  also  that  in  the  case  of 
the  gentleman,  he  had  requested  that  a  flower  appear 
in  the  hair  of  the  girl,  and  that  her  name  appear  on 
the  picture.  He  was  disappointed  that  they  were  not 
there,  and  they  also  subsequently  made  their  appear- 
ance. Thus,  in  each  case  these  sitters  were  given 
special  "after  effects"  in  response  to  their  spoken 
wishes. 

How  very  obliging  this  spirit  artist  is!  How  very 
convincing  is  his  work !  Is  it  not  strange  that  he  will 
not  permit  a  subject  to  bring  his  own  canvas?  Does 
not  this  similarity  in  the  mode  of  procedure  in  each 
case  tell  a  story  to  the  rational  reader?  Did  any  of 
m}^  readers  ever  see  the  same  sleight-of-hand  trick 
performed  over  a  few  times,  and  note  the  absolute  simi- 


APPENDIX.  315 

larity  in  the  mode  of  operation?  Is  it  not  a  fact,  in 
the  language  of  the  profession,  that  ''this  is  in  the 
game"?  It  is  just  such  Httle  improvements  to  a  trick 
performed  by  a  medium  that,  in  the  language  of  the 
profession,  "makes  the  work  strong."  For  myself,  I 
am  quite  sure  that  these  special  effects  were  prepared 
on  the  canvases  in  advance,  with  a  more  slowly  acting 
chemical ;  that  by  suggestion  in  the  conversation,  the 
mediums  adroitly  caused  their  subjects  10  request  these 
little  after  effects.  In  performing  tricks  myself  I  have 
frequently  resorted  to  just  such  expedients,  and  have 
thus  sometimes  made  my  work  appear  almost  super- 
natural. 

In  the  case  of  the  gentleman,  he  requested  these  ef- 
fects in  advance  before  the  sitting.  His  canvas  was  a 
stock  picture,  but  the  assistant  in  the  adjoining  room 
quickly  applied  the  special  effects  to  the  canvas  with 
the  slow  chemical.  On  reaching  home  the  flower  was 
found  to  have  developed,  but  later  the  wife  of  the  sitter 
saw  the  name  appear  before  her.  Possibly  it  was  vis- 
ible as  soon  as  the  flower  was,  but  that  she  overlooked 
its  location.  Then  when  she  did  discover  it,  the  psy- 
chological effect  was  as  though  it  had  suddenly  de- 
veloped before  her  eyes. 

In  the  case  of  the  lady,  I  think  the  conversation  was 
so  manipulated  as  to  cause  her  to  express  her  desire, 
a  short  time  before  the  chemicals  had  time  to  develop. 
I  am  quite  sure  that  two  persons  from  the  same  town 
would  not  each,  independently,  if  uninfluenced  by  sug- 
gestion, have  asked  for  special  after  effects  of  such 
similarity  to  appear  on  the  portraits.  This  feature  is 
evidently  considered  pretty  ''strong"  by  these  mediums 
and  is  "worked  in"  very  frequently. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  gentleman  selected  a  can- 


3l6  APPENDIX. 

vas  and  got  his  picture  very  readily ;  but  that  when  he 
requested  his  Hving  son's  portrait  to  be  made  on  the 
same  canvas,  this  could  not  be  done  without  a  second 
sitting,  and  the  presence  of  the  boy  or  his  photograph. 
Next  in  regard  to  the  means  by  which  the  mediums 
secured  the  secret  information.  When  high  grade 
mediums  do  a  big  business,  it  is  very  common  for  them 
to  employ  a  "traveling  person"  as  I  have  stated  else- 
where. Is  it  not  natural  to. suppose  that  these  mediums 
do  this,  and  that  the  medium  B.,  who  solicits  (or  has 
his  spirit  voices  solicit)  trade  for  them,  receives  part 
of  the  proceeds?  Would  this  not  partly  explain  the 
high  prices  charged?  Honest  spiritualists  will  tell 
most  any  one,  that  mediums  as  a  class  always  greatly 
depreciate  the  work  of  other  mediums,  and  are  con- 
tinually crying  "fraud"  against  them.  Many  believers 
have  expressed  their  regret  to  me  of  this  frailty  in  the 
character  of  this  class  of  persons.  It  is  very  unusual 
for  a  medium  to  advise  a  sitter  to  visit  and  spend 
money  with  another  medium.  To  me  it  is  as  plain  as 
day.  The  medium  B.  had  been  in  the  home  city  of 
these  sitters  many  times.  All  believers,  and  those  who 
were  on  the  way  to  become  believers,  evidently  had 
sittings.  One  of  this  medium's  voices  advised  this 
lady  to  get  this  portrait.  This  proves  that  the  lady 
discussed  the  matter  either  with  this  medium  or  his 
voices.  Evidently,  this  lady  in  her  conversation  and 
questions  (written  or  otherwise),  revealed  to  these 
spirit  voices  or  this  medium,  all  of  the  secrets  (in- 
cluding the  mam  er  in  which  her  son  had  lately  worn 
his  hair,  etc.),  which  afterwards  were  used  to  such 
telling  advantage.  She  has  no  doubt  forgotten  most 
of  her  conversations  with  this  medium,  and  could  not 
relate  one  thing  ir/  ten  that  passed  between  them.    But 


APPENDIX.  317 

it  is  a  medium's  business  to  write  down  and  remember 
these  things.  It  is  also  a  very  prevalent  custom  for 
mediums  to  exchange  information  thus  secured. 

I  feel  sure  that  this  medium  secured  the  lady's  son's 
photograph,  either  with  her  consent  for  the  purpose 
of  "magnetizing  it,"  or  of  getting  en  rapport  with  her 
son ;  or  else  that  he  secured  it  at  some  gallery  secretly, 
and  that  he  copied  it  with  a  kodak.  How  frequently 
do  subjects  take  some  memento  as  a  lock  of  hair  or 
a  photograph  of  the  dear  one  to  a  medium!  How 
easily  can  a  medium  manage  to  have  this  done  long 
before  his  voices  ever  advise  a  spirit  portrait! 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  furnished  the  lady 
mediums  all  of  the  vital  information,  names,  etc., 
which  these  mediums  afterwards  used  to  such  telling 
advantage.  The  reader  need  not  doubt  the  fact  that 
mediums  obtain  a  complete  knowledge  of  the  little 
secrets,  connected  with  the  dead  of  their  sitters.  These 
things  prey  on  the  minds  of  those  who  are  in  grief, 
and  are  revealed  to  mediums  in  one  way  or  another  in 
private  sittings. 

I  wish  my  readers  could  see  a  collection  of  written 
and  signed  questions  which  is  in  my  possession.  These 
were  written  by  many  persons  who  thought  that  they 
saw  them  burned  before  their  eyes.  They  reveal  all 
of  the  innermost  secrets  of  their  writers.  Each  writer 
believed  that  the  medium  never  saw  his  writing,  and 
in  some  instances  report  that  he  never  touched  the 
cards  on  which  it  was.  If  another  medium  were  to 
appear  and  reveal  this  same  information  to  these  per- 
sons, they  would  undoubtedly  certify  that  no  one  at 
all  knew  of  these  secrets.  These  were  presented  to 
me  by  a  medium  of  my  acquaintance,  who  is  quite 
friendly  with  me. 


3l8  APPENDIX. 

As  to  the  sickness  of  the  boy,  (whose  name  was 
probably  furnished  by  B.),  I  should  think  this  a  mere 
prediction  which  would  apply  to  any  growing  child; 
that,  had  the  boy  not  been  sick  on  the  father's  arrival, 
like  most  children  he  would  at  some  later  time  have 
had  an  unimportant  sickness ;  and  that  in  such  a  case 
this  prediction  would  have  been  applied  by  the  gentle- 
man to  the  event.  On  arriving  home  the  boy  happened 
to  be  sick,  which  accidentally  made  an  immediate  ful- 
filment of  the  prediction. 

And  now  in  regard  to  the  slate  test.  I  have  else- 
where dealt  very  completely  with  these  tests.  I  will 
not  take  up  space  here  in  doing  so.  In  an  article  of 
mine  appearing  in  the  Journal  of  the  Society  for  Psy- 
chical Research  I  explain  a  test  where,  from  some 
slates,  possession  is  secretly  obtained  of  a  sealed  en- 
velope. This  could  be  opened  with  steam,  and  the 
writing  done,  after  which  the  envelope  could  be  again 
sealed.  In  Suggestion,  of  September,  1901,  there  is  an 
exposure  of  this  same  trick,  or  nearly  the  same  trick, 
as  that  which  these  mediums  performed. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  these  sitters  received  informa- 
tion or  instructions  from  some  source  in  advance, 
which  caused  them  to  prepare  the  sealed  envelopes. 
In  the  gentleman's  case  he  prepared  his  at  the  hotel. 
Now  the  lady  did  not  come  with  one  prepared,  so  the 
mediums  had  her  prepare  a  sealed  envelope  in  exactly 
the  same  manner.  What  a  strange  coincidence !  This 
shows  that  this  is  a  stock  trick  of  theirs  and  is  per- 
formed for  most  subjects.  The  mode  of  operation  is 
exactly  the  same  in  each  case.  This  fact  alone  shows 
that  it  is  a  trick. 

It  will  be  noted  that  one  letter  was  signed,  "per  E. 
D.  G."    The  recipient  does  not  know  any  one  whom 


APPENDIX.  319 

these  initials  would  indicate.  Had  the  mediums'  notes 
of  information  been  more  complete,  or  had  they  acci- 
dentally hit  upon  other  initials,  this  might  have  been 
cited  as  a  most  convincing  test. 

I  will  not  take  up  further  space  with  my  explana- 
tions; but  I  simply  assure  my  readers  that  if  any  of 
them  will  take  their  own  canvas  with  them,  and  never 
Jet  it  out  of  their  hands  or  sight,  they  will  get  no  pic- 
ture. 

David  P.  Abbott. 

Omaha,  Nebraska. 


ADDENDA. 

ANOTHER  BILLET  TEST. 

I  WILL  add  to  this  work  a  description  of  a  splendid 
billet  test  which  I  have  witnessed  since  the  appear- 
ance of  the  first  edition.  The  spectators  are  given 
small  white  cards  on  which  to  write  their  questions 
and  names.  They  are  also  given  envelopes  in  which 
to  seal  the  cards  after  first  folding  them.  These  en- 
velopes have  been  previously  numbered  by  the  me- 
dium. 

After  the  questions  are  prepared,  the  medium  collects 
them  in  a  velvet  bag  which  is  fastened  on  the  end  of 
a  stick.  He  carries  this  article  by  the  stick  or  handle, 
and  the  spectators  drop  their  sealed  envelopes  into  the 
bag.  When  all  are  collected,  he  holds  the  bag  aloft 
so  all  can  see  that  there  is  no  exchange,  and  then  pro- 
ceeds to  empty  the  billets  upon  his  center  table.  The 
billets  lie  there  in  full  view  while  the  performer  goes 
on  with  some  other  matter  for  a  time. 

Next  the  performer  takes  a  pair  of  double  or  hinged 
slates,  and,  going  to  the  table,  opens  them  and  places 
the  sealed  envelopes  between  them.  He  now  gives 
these  slates  to  any  spectator  to  hold,  and  he  takes  a 
seat  facing  the  spectators. 

Next  he  requests  the  spectator  holding  the  slates 
to  take  one  envelope  at  a  time  from  them,  to  read  its 
number  and  to  give  it  back  unopened  to  its  writer. 


ADDENDA.  321 

Upon  his  doing  this  the  medium  proceeds  to  answer  the 
subject's  questions  in  detail,  to  tell  his  name,  etc.,  as 
in  the  other  various  billet  tests  that  I  have  described. 
After  each  test  is  given  the  writer  is  requested  to 
open  his  envelope  and  to  see  that  his  folded  card  is 
still  within  it  undisturbed. 

I  find  this  test  very  effective  when  properly  "worked 
up,"  and  fully  equal  to  the  billet  work  of  Chicago's 
best  mediums.  First,  the  velvet  bag  contains  a  de- 
ception and  is  about  the  same  as  the  one  described  on 
page  148  of  this  volume,  with  the  exception  that  it 
is  larger.  The  stick  or  handle  is  a  hollow  tin  tube 
painted  black.  On  the  end  of  this  tube  is  soldered 
one  side  of  a  circle  of  stiff  w^ire  eight  or  ten  inches 
in  diameter.  From  this  wire  circle  is  suspended  the 
open  velvet  bag  some  twelve  inches  deep  and  properly 
ornamented.  There  is  a  secret  velvet  partition  in  the 
bag  which  is  sewed  at  the  top  to  a  half  circle  of  wire, 
which  has  a  straight  projection  or  piston  running  up 
through  the  handle.  This  piston  is  fastened  at  the 
handle  end  to  a  short  piece  of  tin  tubing  which 
matches  the  handle.  By  turning  this  short  tube,  the 
piston  is  turned,  moving  the  cloth  partition  from  side 
to  side  in  the  bag.  The  one  I  use  has  a  window-curtain 
roller-spring  within  it,  which  causes  the  partition  to 
"switch"  when  I  release  my  grip  on  it.  In  one  side 
are  secretly  placed  "dummy"  envelopes. 

Now  after  the  performer  gathers  up  the  original 
numbered  envelopes,  he  allows  the  piston  to  revolve. 
He  then  apparently  empties  the  bag  on  his  center  table. 
It  is  the  dummy  envelopes  that  fall  out,  and  the 
originals  are  secretly  retained  in  the  bag  in  its  other 
compartment.  The  performer  now  carelessly  tosses 
the  bag  into  the  wings,  or  adjoining  room,  where  is 


322  ADDENDA. 

his  assistant.  I  will  mention  that  the  conjuring  depots 
supply  these  bags  minus  the  springs  in  rather  smaller 
sizes.  I  think  if  the  performer  requests  it,  that  they 
would  make  this  kind  for  him.  However,  I  made  my 
own.  A  good  medium  recently  told  me  that  this  bag 
was  his  greatest  help. 

Now,  while  the  performer  continues  some  other 
matter,  and  while  the  sealed  envelopes  lie  apparently 
untouched  on  his  center  table,  the  assistant  opens, 
reads,  copies,  and  again  seals  in  previously  numbered 
envelopes,  the  various  questions  and  names.  The 
envelopes,  after  being  again  sealed,  are  placed  between 
a  pair  of  large  double,  or  hinged  slates.  When  the 
performer  is  ready  to  proceed  with  the  tests,  he  steps 
to  his  adjoining  room  or  the  wings,  and  brings  out 
these  slates. 

He  then  steps  to  his  center  table  and  gathers  up 
the  envelopes,  like  a  pack  of  cards,  and  lays  them  on 
the  center  of  his  table.  He  now  takes  up  the  hinged 
slate  (still  closed)  zvith  its  hinge  facing  the  spectators, 
and  lays  it  flat  on  the  stack  of  dummy  envelopes,  and 
presses  downwards  as  if  trying  to  cover  them  up.  This 
he  can  not  do  as  the  package  is  too  thick.  He  there- 
fore takes  tip  the  envelopes  with  one  hand  and  while 
doing  so  lays  the  slates  flat  on  the  table  with  the 
hinged  edge  still  facing  the  spectators.  Next  he  lifts 
the  rear  edge  of  the  upper  slate,  opening  it  up  towards 
the  spectators,  and  with  his  other  hand  from  behind 
apparently  inserts  the  envelopes  between  the  slates, 
immediately  lowering  the  upper  slate  and  thus  closing 
them.  He  then  gives  these  slates  to  a  spectator  to 
hold. 

Now  he  does  not  place  the  dummies  between  the 
slates,  as  he  apears  to  do.     In  fact,  he  merely  slips 


ADDENDA.  3^3 

them  under  both  slates  and  they  fall  into  an  opening 
in  the  table.  The  originals  are  already  in  the  slates 
as  before  stated. 

I  will  give  a  brief  description  of  this  table.     It  is  a 
light  center  table  covered  with  black  velvet,  and  this 
extends  over  the  sides  some  eight  inches,  forming  a 
drape.     A  fancy  design  is  laid  off  on  the  table  top, 
by  tacking  on  silver  braid  so  as  to  form  figures  such 
as  squares,  circles,  etc.     This  appears  to  be  for  the 
purpose  of  ornamentation.     However,  it  conceals  the 
trick.    Just  back  of  the  center  of  the  table  one  square 
is  really  a  hole  in  the  table,  into  which  is  sewed  a 
black  velvet  pocket  six  inches  deep.     This  pocket  is 
absolutely   invisible   if   its   margin   be   bordered   with 
bright  silver  braid,  and  if  bright  lights  be  behind  the 
table  and  above  it.    A  spectator  can  stand  within  two 
feet  of  this  table  and  can  only  discover  the  pocket  by 
feeling.     It  is  absolutely  invisible.     This  is  called  a 
"Black  Art  Table."  Into  this  opening  the  dummy  en- 
velopes fall  when  shoved  under  the  slates.    The  slates 
being  placed  well  back  over  the  opening,  the  enve- 
lopes have  to  be  shoved  forward  horizontally  into  it, 
and  the  motion  is  deceptive,  as  the  envelopes  appear 
from  the  front  to  be  going  into  the  slates.     This  is 
surely  a  most  excellent  "switch,"  as  is  also  that  of 
the  "Velvet  Changing  Bag." 

The  performer  now  seats  himself  and  gives  the 
tests,  while  the  spectator  returns  to  each  writer  his 
unopened  ( ?)  envelope.  How  does  the  medium  get 
the  questions?  It  is  simplicity  itself.  He  has  a  small 
book  made  of  white  celluloid.  The  leaves  are  about 
eight  in  number,  and  are  about  half  the  size  of  play- 
ing cards.  The  leaves  are  fastened  together  by  punch- 
ing two  holes  on  one  side  of  each  leaf,  and  then  putting 


324  ADDENDA. 

in  these  holes  a  small  ring.  This  book  can  be  held  in 
the  palm ;  and  after  reading  each  leaf,  it  is  allowed  to 
fall  open  in  the  palm  whereupon  the  question  on  its 
other  side  can  be  read. 

The  assistant  copies  the  questions  on  these  leaves 
and  numbers  them  the  same  as  the  envelopes.  When 
the  performer  gets  the  double  slates,  he  places  this 
book  in  his  pocket  with  his  handkerchief.  When  he 
gives  the  tests,  he  takes  out  the  handkerchief  and  con- 
ceals the  book  secretly  in  his  palm.  The  hands  hold 
the  handkerchief  and  he  frequently  mops  his  brow 
during  the  "trying  ordeal."  The  handkerchief  is  held 
in  the  hands  in  his  lap  when  it  is  not  in  use,  and  this 
helps  conceal  the  tiny  book  and  the  motions  of  drop- 
ping its  leaves.  The  performer  thus  reads  the  ques- 
tions in  his  hands,  and  gives  the  most  marvelous  tests 
under  the  very  eyes  of  his  spectators.  I  consider  this 
one  of  the  best  billet  tricks  extant. 

THE   SWINGING   PENDULUMS  AGAIN. 

Since  the  first  edition  of  this  volume  appeared  I 
have  developed  the  "Mystic  Oracle  of  the  Swinging 
Pendulums"  described  on  page  29,  into  a  much  better 
trick.  I  think  best  to  give  the  reader  the  benefit  of  my 
experiments  so  that  he  can  work  it  more  successfully ; 
as  it  is  surely' a  most  mystifying  effect.  Any  person 
can  learn  this  in  an  hour,  and  he  does  not  have  to  be 
a  performer  in  order  to  work  it  well. 

I  use  a  small  mahogony  center  table,  about  twenty 
inches  square  on  top,  with  four  legs,  one  at  each 
corner.  The  table  is  not  rickety  or  creaky,  neither  is 
it  more  solid  than  any  new  table  of  that  style.  The 
top  can  be  displaced  possibly  one  inch,  by  a  slight 
pressure  of  the  hands. 


ADDENDA.  325 

When  the  hands  are  placed  on  the  table,  it  is  pushed 
possibly  one-half  inch,  so  as  to  be  slightly  under  ten- 
sion. I  use  no  cover  on  the  table.  Now  at  first,  I 
actually  made  perceptible  pushes  or  vibrations ;  but 
after  an  hour  or  so  of  practice,  I  found  that  by  merely 
vv^atching  a  pendulum  it  would  strike,  and  I  could  not 
detect  that  I  was  making  motions.  My  subconscious 
mind  does  the  work  involuntarily,  so  that  all  I  have 
to  do  is  to  look  at  a  pendulum ;  and  once  striking,  it 
will  continue  to  strike  as  long  as  I  look  at  it,  and  will 
only  cease  when  I  look  elsewhere.  It  seems  to  me 
that  I  do  it  by  my  mere  will-power.  However,  I  know 
that  I  must  make  involuntary  vibrations.  I  recently 
permitted  Mrs..  Powell,  the  wife  of  the  famous  magi- 
cian, to  place  her  hands  on  the  table,  and  I  placed  my 
hands  on  top  of  hers.  The  vibrations  were  so  slight 
that  she  could  detect  nothing,  and  she  was  completely 
mystified,  much  to  the  amusement  of  her  celebrated 
husband  who  knew  the  trick. 

The  pendulum  weights  are  hung  on  hair  wire.  They 
must  be  much  heavier  than  bullets.  Neither  must  the 
amplitude  of  their  swing  be  very  great.  Each  pen- 
dulum must  be  experimented  with  separately  until 
it  is  just  right,  and  until  it  will  strike  from  the  slight- 
est vibrations.  The  stand  or  rack,  upon  which  the 
longer  ones  are  hung,  must  be  solid  and  not  springy. 
I  use  a  magician's  "Crystal  Clock"  base,  with  a  heavy 
brass  tree  rising  out  of  its  top.  I  suspend  pendulums 
from  the  latter's  branches.  The  base  resembles  the 
base  of  a  tall  brass  lamp.  Two  pendulums  are  metal 
balls  one-half  inch  in  diameter,  and  two  are  wooden 
balls  one  inch  in  diameter.  The  latter  have  large  holes 
bored  in  their  bottoms  reaching  nearly  through,  and 
these   are   filled   with   melted   lead.     The   metal   balls 


326  ADDENDA. 

swing  in  wine  glasses,  and  the  larger  balls  swing  in  the 
regular  size  glasses,  as  their  diameter  reduces  their 
swing.  These  pendulurns  are  sixteen,  eighteen,  twenty 
and  twenty-two  inches  long.  The  other  pendulums  I 
suspend  in  circular  bottles  from  the  lower  ends  of 
their  corks.  I  use  two  bottles  such  as  originally  con- 
tain olive  oil  in  the  large  grocery  stores.  They  are 
about  fifteen  inches  tall  and  very  slender.  One  stands 
on  each  corner  of  the  side  of  the  table  opposite  me. 
Between  these,  grouped  symmetrically,  are  other  slen- 
der circular  bottles,  six,  eight,  and  ten  inches  tall.  The 
pendulums  in  them  are  of  varying  lengths  and  are 
quite  heavy.  In  the  center  of  this  group  I  also  set  a 
wide  bottle  containing  two  lead  dolls  seated  in  swings, 
suspended  from  a  cross  stick.  The  shortest  pendulum 
is  about  four  inches  long. 

Each  pendulum  wire  has  a  tiny  ring  at  its  top,  and 
this  is  hung  in  a  little  staple  that  is  pushed  up  into  the 
cork's  bottom.  The  staple  should  sit  edgewise  to  the 
spectator  in  all  cases.  Each  pendulum  must  be  ad- 
justed until  it  responds  and  strikes  under  the  most 
delicate  pressure.  This  is  so  that  heavy  vibrations 
are  unnecessary.  Light  pendulums  can  not  be  con- 
trolled like  heavy  ones.  The  operator  must  have  great 
patience,  get  in  no  hurry,  and  take  plenty  of  time  in 
bringing  the  pendulums  to  a  striking  amplitude  of 
vibration. 

Short  pendulums  do  not  require  vibrations  every 
swing,  to  operate  them,  but  a  vibration  every  second 
or  third  swing  will  do.  In  case  of  laughing  or  talk- 
ing, I  manage  to  slightly  shake  or  jar  my  chest  in  time 
with  the  motions  of  the  selected  pendulum ;  as  any 
jar,  if  in  time,  helps  to  accelerate  the  motions.  But 
it  must  also  be  remembered  that  a  jar  out  of  time 


ADDENDA.  327 

retards  them.  I  keep  continually  cautioning  the  sitter 
not  to  jar  the  table,  explaining  that  ''this  would  cause 
all  the  pendulums  to  go  to  swinging  and  would  thus 
mar  the  experiment."  This  makes  him  a  trifle  nervous 
so  that  he  can  not  detect  a  slight  vibration.  It  also  pre- 
vents the  correct  idea  from  entering  his  mind. 

I  request  him  to  watch  the  selected  pendulum  in- 
tently, and  this  also  helps  the  experiment  along;  for 
in  watching  it,  he  naturally  exerts  his  will-power  also. 
I  generally  place  my  palms  on  the  back  of  the  sitter's 
hands  which  rest  upon  the  table,  while  he  sits  beside 
me  on  a  slightly  elevated  seat.  This  is  one  of  the  few 
tricks  that  will  bear  indefinite  repetition. 

A   BILLET   TEST   IMPROVED. 

There  is  probably  no  more  effective  trick  than  the 
one  described  in  Number  III  of  "Half  Hours  with 
Mediums,"  on  page  14  of  this  volume.  Since  the  vol- 
ume was  first  published  I  have  improved  my  method 
somewhat,  and  this  makes- it  much  more  effective. 

I  first  prepare  the  message  for  my  subject,  address- 
ing him  by  name,  and  signing  the  name  of  some  one 
who  is  dead  that  he  knows,  if  it  be  possible  to  secure 
the  name  secretly.  This  message  I  write  on  one  sheet 
of  a  quite  small  tablet,  and  fold  it  in  the  middle.  I 
place  this  between  the  two  backs  of  the  envelope,  and 
then  seal  the  outer  flap  carefully  to  the  inner  one. 

I  have  several  tablets  and  envelopes  in  a  small  box 
of  stationery.  I  ask  the  subject  to  select  a  sheet  from 
one  of  the  tablets,  which  he  does.  I  next  ask  him  to 
take  an  envelope ;  but  I  have  the  prepared  one  on  top 
of  the  others,  and  I  say,  "Just  take  an  envelope, 
please."  He  invariably  takes  the  first  one.  I  now 
ask  him  to  place  his  folded  sheet  in  the  center  of  this 


328 


ADDENDA. 


envelope,  as  nearly  as  he  can,  and  to  seal  the  latter. 
This  he  does;  and  in  placing  it  in  so  carefully,  he 
naturally  sees  that  the  envelope  is  empty,  without 
having  his  suspicion  aroused  by  my  suggesting  such 
a  thing.    He  does  as  directed. 

I  next  ask  him  to  hold  his  sealed  envelope  on  its 
lower  edge  on  the  table,  and  not  to  let  it  leave  his 
hands,  but  to  permit  me  to  grasp  it  with  my  right 
fingers,  which  I  proceed  to  do.  After  a  time  I  cause 
the  table  to  rap  three  times,  by  slightly  moving  my 
foot,  with  my  shoe  pressing  against  the  table  leg. 
This  makes  splendid  raps.  I  then  show  him  that  my 
hands  are  empty ;  and  taking  his  envelope,  I  say,  "Let 
me  see  if  you  have  a  message."  I  tear  off  the  end 
carefully,  and  insert  my  fingers  in  the  back  compart- 
ment, removing  and  handing  him  his  message  before 
his  very  eyes.  As  he  reads  it,  my  left  hand  secretly 
exchanges  the  envelope  just  used  for  a  duplicate  ordi- 
nary one,  torn  open  in  the  same  manner.  This  has 
been  placed  in  my  left  coat  pocket  in  advance  for  this 
purpose,  and  I  silently  drop  the  original  into  my 
pocket  and  withdraw  the  dummy.  As  he  finishes  read- 
ing, I  am  fingering  the  dummy,  and  I  hand  this  to  him 
asking  him  to  keep  all  as  a  souvenir.  Really  this  is 
as  effective  as  any  slate  or  billet  test  I  have  ever  seen. 

THE  DOCTOR   SCHLESSINGER   ACT  IMPROVED. 

There  is  quite  an  improvement  in  the  manner  of 
working  the  trick  performed  by  Dr.  Schlessinger,  and 
which  is  described  in  the  chapter  entitled,  "Some  Un- 
usual Mediumistic  Phenomena."  In  this,  the  subject 
places  the  folded  billets  (which  are  contained  in  a 
hollow  skull  or  hat)  under  the  table.  There  he  selects 
them,  one  at  a  time,  at  random,  and  places  them  in  the 


ADDENDA. 


329 


hands  of  the  performer,  which  are  also  held  under  the 
table.  Neither  the  performer  nor  the  subject  sees  the 
billets;  yet  the  performer  selects  the  one  containing 
the  name  of  the  dead  person,  and  hands  it  back  to  the 
subject,  without  bringing  it  from  under  the  table,  stat- 
ing that  this  is  the  name  of  the  person  who  is  dead. 
He  also  requests  the  subject  to  hold  it  below  the  table, 
so  that  he  (the  performer)  can  not  see  it,  and  to  there 
examine  it  and  see  if  the  performer  be  correct.  When 
the  subject  does  this,  then  the  performer  proceeds  to 
read  the  name  without  seeing  the  paper.  The  per- 
former also  hands  other  billets  back  to  the  hand  of  the 
subject  under  the  table,  telling  him  that  these  are  the 
names  of  living  persons,  and  at  the  same  time  reading 
the  names,  with  his  clairvoyant  power. 

The  method  is  simple.  The  name  of  the  dead  person 
is  secretly  selected,  as  I  previously  described  in  the 
chapter  mentioned,  and  it  is  memorized.  This  billet  the 
performer  folds  in  a  way  slightly  different  from  the 
others,  so  that  he  can  tell  by  feeling  when  it  is  placed  in 
his  hands.  Generally  I  make  the  last  fold,  and  then 
quickly  and  secretly  crimp  or  fold  over  one  corner  of 
the  billet.  I  also  select  a  second  choice,  as  previously 
described,  and  memorize  this  name,  and  this  time  crimp 
two  of  the  corners.  Then  I  select  and  memorize  a 
third  choice,  and  this  time  do  not  crimp  either  corner ; 
but  on  making  the  last  fold  of  the  billet,  I  do  so  in 
such  a  manner  that  one  fold  of  the  paper  does  not 
extend  to  the  end  of  the  other  fold,  but  falls  short  a 
quarter  of  an  inch.  Now,  under  the  table,  I  can 
quickly  tell  these  names  by  feeling.  This,  however, 
requires  a  good  memory  and  considerable  care. 

Now,  most  of  the  time  I  am  right ;  and  after  select- 
ing and  reading  the  correct  name,  I  select  and  read 


330 


ADDENDA. 


the  other  living  names  that  I  have  crimped.  How- 
ever, should  I  miss  my  guess  at  first,  as  sometimes 
happens,  just  as  the  subject  starts  to  say  I  am  wrong, 
and  as  soon  as  I  can  see  that  I  have  failed,  I  interrupt 
him  before  he  can  finish  his  sentence,  just  as  if  I  had 
discovered  my  own  error,  and  say,  "No,  that  is  not  the 
dead  one,  either.  That  is  so-and-so  (giving  the  name). 
Of  course  he  (or  she)  is  alive."  Then  I  proceed  to 
my  second  choice,  which  in  most  cases  is  correct ;  and 
in  rare  cases  I  am  compelled  to  go  to  the  third  choice, 
before  getting  the  dead  person's  name;  but  the  subject 
thinks  nothing  of  these  errors,  and  they  are  completely 
overshadowed  by  my  reading  of  the  names  in  so  mys- 
terious a  manner. 

Of  course,  on  rare  occasions,  I  must  give  up  the 
experiment,  saying  conditions  are  not  right,  and  that  I 
will  do  something  else;  but  I  have  become  so  certain 
in  working  the  experiment  that  I  never  consider  the 
possibility  of  failure.  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  James  Louis 
Kellogg  of  New  York  City  for  this  improvement.  He 
had  the  good  fortune  to  witness  an  experiment  of  Dr. 
Schlessinger's  where  this  improvement  was  used. 

WIRELESS  ELECTRICITY  FOR  MEDIUMISTIC 
TRICKS. 

I  must  also  make  mention  here  of  a  talking  table, 
that  a  person  of  whom  I  know  is  completing  at  this 
writing.  The  table  may  be  taken  apart  and  put  to- 
gether by  the  investigator,  and  nothing  suspicious  will 
be  found.  He  then  asks  questions  of  the  spirits,  and 
holds  his  ear  to  the  table  for  the  reply.  The  table 
replies  in  human  language,  but  the  sounds  are  quite 
indistinct  and  ghostly. 

The  table  may  be  taken  to  any  room,  and  everything 


ADDENDA. 


331 


searched  and  examined ;  yet  it  will  work  just  the  same. 
It  may  be  lifted  from  the  floor  and  held  in  the  air,  but 
this  makes  no  difference.  Now  this  is  certainly  quite 
interesting. 

All  of  my  readers  may  not  know  that  if  a  coil  of 
wire  be  run  secretly  around  a  room,  either  under  the 
floor  or  in  any  other  concealed  position ;  and  if  a  tele- 
phone transmitter  be  attached  to  it  from  some  other 
building;  that  a  telephone  which  is  not  connected  by 
any  wires  whatever,  but  that  is  simply  located  any- 
where within  the  coil,  will  repeat  all  words  spoken 
into  the  transmitter.  This  is  not  wireless  telephony, 
as  many  may  suppose,  but  is  simply  a  case  of  induc- 
tion. It  is  the  same  thing  that  frequently  causes  a 
wire  to  transmit  words  over  another  wire  running  par- 
allel to  it,  if  the  latter  have  a  ground  return.  Mr. 
Charles  Robbins,  Electrical  Engineer,  mentioned  else- 
where in  this  volume,  informs  me  that  this  thing  has 
been  exhibited  at  several  electrical  shows. 

Now,  the  man  who  is  making  this  table  to  which  I 
have  referred,  uses  this  principle.  He  runs  a  secret 
coil  around  each  room,  and  puts  the  receiver  in  the 
top  board  of  the  table,  the  center  portions  of  which 
are  hollow.  In  fact,  the  top  of  the  table  appears  to  be 
veneered,  and  is  quite  thin.  He  pours  melted  paraffine 
in  the  hollow  around  the  apparatus,  so  as  to  hold  it 
steady  and  make  all  parts  sound  alike.  Electricians 
can  easily  work  out  the  details.  He  conceals  two  or 
three  transmitters  behind  ornaments  in  each  room, 
and  any  words  spoken  in  the  rooms  are  carried  to  the 
distant  confederate. 

I  have  contemplated  making  a  talking  trumpet  on 
this  plan.  The  trumpet  should  be  a  couple  of  inches 
in  diameter  at  the  middle,  and  taper  to  a  half  inch  at 


332 


ADDENDA. 


each  end.  Ear-pieces  should  also  be  put  on  the  ends 
to  cover  the  ears,  or  else  old-time  phonograph  ear 
tubes  should  be  used.  The  trumpet  would  be  some- 
thing like  the  one  used  by  Mrs.  Blake,  the  medium, 
and  which  is  pictured  and  described  in  my  pamphlet, 
The  History  of  a  Strange  Case. 

The  same  man  I  have  just  mentioned,  is  also  experi- 
menting with  a  view  to  using  the  Hertzian  waves  of 
wireless  telegraphy,  for  moving  distant  objects  without 
mechanical  contact ;  and  for  controlling  the  motions  of 
distant  objects.  Of  course  these  objects  must  have  a 
preparation  that  can  not  be  discovered.  At  this  writ- 
ing I  can  not  say  just  how  he  will  succeed.  He  has 
also  stated  that  he  will  produce  in  a  room  what  he 
calls  ''Whispering  or  Echoing  Voices,"  which  will  be 
voices  in  the  very  air  of  the  room.  He  also  says  he 
thinks  it  possible  to  cause  a  sheet  of  paper  or  card 
held  in  the  operator's  hand,  to  speak  and  act  like  a 
telephone  diaphragm.  He  expects  to  wire  the  opera- 
tor in  some  manner,  but  this  part  will  be  secret,  of 
course.  He  thinks  a  subject  can  then  carry  on  a  con- 
versation with  this  sheet  of  paper.  In  such  case  I 
would  think  that  the  sheet  of  paper  must  be  double, 
and  have  within  it  a  very  thin  sheet  of  iron.  I  would 
also  think  the  operator  must  palm  a  secret  coil  in  the 
hand  holding  the  sheet,  and  that  this  must  be  connected 
with  the  wires  on  his  person.  I  must  say,  however, 
that  I  doubt  the  feasibility  of  these  last  experiments; 
but  I  desire  to  call  such  things  to  the  attention  of 
experimenters. 


INDEX. 


Abbott,  David  P.,  280;  correspond- 
ence in  Open  Court,  266;  Fa- 
ther's test,  217,  221;  reply  to 
Dr.  O.  O.  Burgess,  283;  Tests 
given,   9,   39,    S9i    218. 

Abbott,  James  Asahel,  name  used 
in  test,  221. 

Accordion   sealed,    286. 

Actor,   Magician  an,    115. 

Alcohol,  Odorless,  loi,  105,  177. 
194. 

Aluminum  trumpets,   288. 

Apparition  of  a  voice,  270. 

Apparitions,   267. 

Artificial  hand,  33,   57,  277. 

Assistant  acts  as  another  sitter, 
38;  as  porter,  38;  concealed  by 
draperies,  36. 

Astrology,  The  relation  of  me- 
diumship  to,  245  ff. 

Attention,   Control  of,    153,    182. 

Bag  with   two   compartments,    148. 

Balmain's   Luminous   Paint,  63,  71. 

Base-board,   Trap  in,    183. 

Basket,    Billet-changing,    206,    209. 

Believer  moves  into  a  block  near 
a  medium  for  purposes  of  in- 
vestigation,   186. 

Believers'  billets  collected  by  me- 
diums, 247,  317;  Jest  of  me- 
dium  at  expense  of,   238. 

Benedict,  ]Mr.  Edward,  a  magi- 
cian,   163,    165,    265. 

Best    patrons   of   mediums,    85. 

Bible  service  tests,  199,  205; 
adapted  for  double  parlors, 
209. 

Billet-changing    basket,    206,    209. 


Billet  tests:  Bible  service  tests, 
199,  205;  The  same  adapted  for 
double  parlors,  209;  City  Di- 
rectory used,  167;  Impression 
of  writing  secretly  obtained, 
106;  List  of  names  to  include 
a  dead  person,  57,  218;  Me- 
dium answers  questions  with- 
out touching  them:  (i)  while 
they  are  held  aloft  by  his  man- 
ager, 195,  200,  (2)  while  they 
are  suspended  from  the  ceiling 
in  a  bag,  198,  204,  (3)  while 
they  lie  on  a  table  and  he  walks 
about  the  room,  199,  207;  while 
in  a  double  parlor,  209,  (4) 
with  Card  Servant e  and  black- 
board in  the  wings  of  the  stage, 
212;  Method  of  obtaining  a  se- 
cret impression  of  writing,  164; 
Odorless  alcohol  used,  101;  Pre- 
pared book  used,  169;  Prepared 
clip-board  used,  170;  Prepared 
table,  80;  Question  transferred 
to  slate  held  by  sitter,  81;  Ques- 
tions written  and  retained  by 
spectators  and  answered  by 
blindfolded  lady  on  stage,  253 
ff. :  (i)  questions  answered 
which  are  written  on  specta- 
tor's own  paper  and  retained 
in  their  pockets,  257,  (2)  ques- 
tions answered  which  are 
thought  of  by  spectators  but 
not  written,  258;  Reading 
sealed  billets  before  a  company 
in  absolute  darkness,  82;  Skull 
cap  worn  by  medium  effectively 
used,    177;     Store   room   reading 


334 


INDEX. 


wkh  the  use  of  wax  impres- 
sions, 166;  "Switch"  and  "One 
Ahead"  principle  employed,  174; 
"Switching"  the  billets,  171; 
Trick  envelope  with  a  double 
front,  16,  17;  The  same  with 
a  slot  cut  in  its  face,  41,  45; 
Washington  Irving  Bishop's 
sealed  letter  reading  in  a  new 
dress,  1 1 ;  The  same  improved, 
263;    Wireless   telephone,    214. 

Billets  of  believers  collected  by 
mediums,    13,    247,   317. 

Bishop's,  Washington  Irving, 
sealed  letter  reading,  194;  Im- 
provement on,  263;  In  a  new 
dress,   s,   11. 

"Black    chapter,"    243. 

Blackboard  in  the  wings  of  the 
stage.   Use  of  a,   213. 

Blindfolded,  Medium,  195;  with 
a  kid  glove,  6,   11,  202. 

Blotter  pad.   Use  of  a,  251, 

Blue  Book,  The,  278;  of  Boston, 
The,  192;  of  Kansas  City,  278; 
of  Omaha,    14. 

Blue  flame  on  the  surface  of 
water,    41. 

Bodily  ailments  treated  by  me- 
diums,   2"]. 

Book  prepared  with  carbon  sheet, 
170. 

Books  of  "Dope,"  75. 

Boston,   the   Blue  Book  of,    192. 

Boulder  of  gold  quartz  material- 
ized,  240. 

Buddhist     priest.     Rev.     Swami 
Mazzininanda,    242. 

Burgess,  Dr.  O.  O.,  submits  a 
puzzling  case,   280  ff. 

Burr,  Aaron,  name  used  in  test, 
95- 

Cabinet,    166,    179,   235. 

Cage    of    wire,     screwed     to     the 

floor,  2Z7. 
Camp  of  mediums  in  Indiana,  59. 
Canvassing,    Information   collected 

while,   19. 
Carbon   sheet.  Book  prepared  with, 

170;   White,   254. 


Card  Servante,  Use  of  a,  212. 
Cards    for    forcing,    Pack   of,    147. 
Carus,    Dr.    Paul,    Soul    of    Man, 

274. 
Cases,    Mediums    on    the    lookout 

for,    184. 
Catalogue  of    private  readings,  192; 

of    information,     270,     271;      of 

questions,    13. 
Ceiling,   Trap  in,    179. 
Chair,    Method    of    preparing    a 

trick,    no. 
Chart   containing   impression    of 

sitter's  palm,  248. 
Chemical  tricks,    190. 
Chest,    Light   and   heavy,   34. 
Chicago,     242;     Portrait    mediums 

in,    241,    294;    War    of,    against 

mediums,    246. 
Child,  Materialization  of  a,  73. 
Clip-board,   Use  of,    170. 
Coat    or    hat.    Information    from, 

38. 
Cocoa  butter.   Use   of,    168. 
Collection    of   written   and   signed 

questions,   247,   317. 
Colors,   Words  written  in,    162. 
Confederates    often    respectable 

persons,  271. 
Confessions    burned,     137;    means 

of   discovering,    135. 
Consolation  in  occultism,  4. 
Control  of  attention,    153. 
Convent,    Entertainment    given    at 

a,   99. 
Cornell    University,    285. 
Corner    torn    from    slip    of    paper, 

155. 
CcsmopoUtan   Magazine,   285. 
Costumes  of  gauze,    71. 
Couch  used  in  trances,  36. 
Council   Bluffs,   39,    51,    52,   55. 
Court  plaster   method,    191. 
Cream,   Use  of,    168. 
Crow,    John    A.,     name    used    in 

test,   26. 
Crystal  gazing,  54,  98. 

Dark,  Raps  in  the,  56;  seance, 
59,  266;  seance.  Billet  work  in, 
82;    seance    evidence    of    trick- 


INDEX. 


335 


eT»   54;   seance  losing  prestige, 

293. 
Davenport  Brothers,  284. 
"D.  E."   (dead  easy),    192. 
Deadwood,   26. 
Dealers  in   mediums*   secrets,    114, 

273;    Geo.    L.    Williams    8f    Co., 

106,    154,    168;  Yost  &  Co.,  285, 
Death,   Life  after,    2,    193. 
Deceptive  grip,   62. 
Denver,    53. 
Developing  a  wax  impression,  108, 

168;     Powders     for,      165,      169. 
Dictionary,   Spirit,  93;  test,  Yost's 

spiritualistic  slate  and,   90. 
Directory    of    city    used,    38,    167, 

251,   257. 
Disease  and  place  of  death,  How 

to  tell   the,   222,   226. 
"Dope,"  Books  of,   75. 
Draperies,  Assistant  concealed  by, 

36. 
Dummy    card   burned,    250;    enve- 
lopes,  201,    203;    tablets,   254. 

E.,  Rev.  Madame,  celebrated  oc- 
cultist, trance  medium,  clair- 
voyant, etc.,    5. 

Egyptian  queen.  Materialization 
of.  72. 

Evans,  Henry  Ridgely,  Shaw's 
Magical  Instructor,  286;  The 
Spirit   World    Unmasked,   284. 

Expert  medium,  Mr.  Abbott's  call 
on,   39. 

Expose   of   spooks,   239. 

Fashion   in   mediumship,    53. 

Fay,  Annie  Eva,  168;  Cotton 
bandage  test  of,  286;  Perform- 
ances of  the,   type,   253  ff. 

Fee  paid  for  exerting  spiritual  in- 
fluence,  26. 

Figures,  Methods  of  forcing  the 
selection  of  a  sum  of,   160. 

Fishing  for  information,  60;  Sys- 
tems of,   66. 

Flame  on  the  surface  of  water,  41. 

Flap,   144,   150,   154,   156,   157. 

Flash  light.  Use  of  the  pocket-, 
84.   293. 


Floor,   Trap  in,    T79. 

Flowers  concealed  under  confed- 
erate's skirts,  52;  Materializa- 
tion of,  50;  received  with  slate 
message,    138. 

Forcing  the  choice  of  a  certain 
page  in  a  book,  159;  of  a  sum 
of  figures,  160;  of  a  word,  147; 
of  a  word  which  is  to  appear  on 
a  slate,  157;  of  two  slates,  131; 
Pack  of  cards  for,   147. 

Fortune  -  telling,  ability  required 
of  a  medium,  247;  Relation  of 
mediumship   to,    245  ff. 

Fraud  founded  on  the  genuine,  5. 

Fulton,  the  steamboat  man,  Long 
letter    from,   308. 

Gauze,  Costumes  of,  71. 

Girdle,   Magic,    186. 

Glass  plate.  Impression    transferred 

to,    169. 
Glove,   Blindfolding  with  a  kid,  6, 

II,   19s,  202. 
Gold    quartz    materialized,  Boulder 

of,  240. 
Grave    stones.    Information    from, 

19,    192,   270. 
Guesswork,   Information  given  by, 

177- 
Guide   writing  from   dictation,    17. 
Guides,   54. 

H — ,  Dr.  Lee,  pugilist,  preacher 
and  medium,   20. 

Half  Hours  with  Mediums,  i  ff. 

Hamlet,    5. 

Hand,  Artificial,  57,  277;  A  rap- 
ping, 33- 

Ilangtown,   222. 

Hardin,  Mr.  Henry,  pseud,  of  E. 
A.  Parsons,  of  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  85. 

Hat  or  coat,  Information  from, 
38. 

Head  telephone,  Use  of  a,  207, 
256. 

Heaven,  Treasury  of,  241. 

Hermann    the    conjurer,    285. 

Hoffman's  Later  Magic,   85. 


33<^ 


INDEX. 


Holt,  Cora,  name  used  in  test, 
219. 

Hotel   room,    Tests   in   a,    76. 

House,  fitted  with  mechanical 
rappers,  292;  questions,  Read- 
ing of,   256. 

Hyslop,  Professor,  name  used  in 
test,  44. 

Immortality,  217,  267,  280,  283; 
Proof  required   of,    i. 

Impromptu  or  extempore  manner 
in  which  mediums  must  fre- 
quently work,    184. 

Indian  chief.  Materialization  of, 
T2:,  conjurers,  86;  guides,  54; 
magic,    116, 

Indiana,  Camp  of  mediums  in,  59. 

Influence,  Fee  paid  for  exerting 
spiritual,   26. 

Information,  Catalogued,  270,  271; 
Fishing  for,  60;  from  the  city 
directory,  167;  from  the  daily 
papers,  192,  270;  from  grave- 
yards, 19,  192,  270;  from  hat 
or  coat,  38;  from  local  confed- 
erate, 36;  from  other  mediums 
collected  in  books,  75;  from 
speaking  tubes,  191;  from  writ- 
ing, 178;  given  by  guesswork, 
177;  inferred  from  writing,  177; 
Means  of  getting,  19,  192,  270, 
316;  obtained  by  a  secret  con- 
federate, 38;  through  rubber 
tube,   37. 

Irish   spirit,   266,   268. 

Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  285. 

Jest  of  medium  and  confederates 
at  the  expense  of  believers,  238. 

Jesus  Christ,  Dr.  Schlossenger's 
vision  of,   233. 

Kansas  City,  26^,  277;  Blue  Book 

of,  278. 
Kellar,  the  magician.  Spirit  tie  of, 

284. 
Kid  glove,    Blindfolded  with   help 

of,  6,    u,  202. 
Krishna,  Spirit  of  the  Master,  244. 


Late  call,  54. 

Letter,  from  medium  at  a  dis- 
tance, 15;  filched  from  sitter's 
pocket,  20;  replaced  in  sitter's 
pocket,  24. 

Levi,    Dr.    Schlossenger's    spirit 
guide,  229,  232. 

Life  after  death,  2,   193. 

Light,  Pocket  electric,  84,  293. 

Lincoln,    Neb.,    15,   268,    277,    293. 

Local    confederate.    Information 
from,  36. 

Los  Angeles,   242. 

Luminous  cheese  cloth,  243;  cos- 
tumes. Method  of  using,  72; 
costumes.  Preparation  of,  71; 
forms  secretly  secured  from  un- 
der the  coat  of  a  confederate, 
235;  gauze  concealed  in  a  belt 
under  a  lady  medium's  cloth- 
ing,  236;   letters,   56,  67. 

Magic  girdle,    186. 

Magician  an  actor,   115. 

Magnetism,    54. 

Mahatma,  85;  wearing  a  turban, 
200,   208. 

Mantel  used  in  slatewriting  tests, 
123. 

Materialization,   70,  235  ff. 

Materializing   a  trick,    59. 

Mazzininanda,    Rev.    Swami,     a 
Buddhist   priest,    242. 

Mechanical  rappers,  190;  House 
fitted  with,    292. 

Mechanism  of  sympathy.  The,  33n. 

Medium    at    a    distance.    Letter 
from,    15;    forfeits   $25,    181. 

Mediumistic  phenomena,  Some  un- 
usual, 215  ff.;  reading  of  sealed 
writings,    87  ff. 

Mediums,  Chicago's  war  against, 
246;  Los  Angeles  Herald's  war 
against,   244. 

Mediumship,  Palmistry  combined 
with,  246,  249;  teaching,  a 
fraud,  242;  Relation  of,  to 
palmistry,  astrology,  and  for- 
tune-telling,   245  ff. 

Memory  poor  for  details,  67. 

Mental  tests,   63. 


INDEX. 


337 


Mind-reading,   57. 
Mine,    Spirit,    241. 
Misdirection,  Art  of,    115,   135. 
Modern  sorcery,   193  ff. 

Name  appears  on  spirit  portrait 
on  demand,  310;  of  a  dead  per- 
son from  among  those  of  the 
living.  How  to  select,  223;  Me- 
dium tells  sitter's,   25. 

Names,  List  of,  to  include  a  dead 
person,   57,   215,   218,   220. 

Newspaper  used  in  slatewriting, 
122,   139,   151,   157,    163. 

Newspapers,  Information  from, 
192,  270. 

Nut-galls,    Solution  of,    190. 

Occultism,   Consolation  of,   4. 

Odorless  alcohol.  Sponge  saturated 
with,    177. 

Oldtown,    Kentucky,    291. 

Omaha,  26,  39,  55,  237,  239,  274, 
276;    "Blue    Book"   of,    14. 

Open  Court,  The,  33n.,  274;  cor- 
respondence  with   Abbott,    266. 

Pack  of  cards  for  forcing,    147. 

Paint,   Luminous,   56. 

Palm,  Chart  containing  impression 
of  sitter'e,   248;   reading,    169. 

Palming,    168. 

Palmistry  combined  with  medium- 
ship,  246,  249;  Relation  of  me- 
diumship  to,  245  fF. 

Paper    writing,    Independent,    153. 

Paraffin  wax.   Use  of,   164,   254. 

Parsons,  E.  A.,  of  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  (Mr.   Henry  Hardin),  85. 

Pass  of  slates,   124,   127,   130,   141. 

Pendulums,  Mystic  oracle  of  the 
swinging,   29,   31. 

Personal  affairs,  Medium  tells  sit- 
ter's, 25. 

Phelps,     Celestina     Redexilana, 
name  used  in  test,   221. 

Piper,  Mrs.,  name  used  in  test,  44. 

Place  of  death.  How  to  tell  the 
disease  and,  222,   226. 

Places,   List  of,    216. 

Platform  production.  Slate  tricks 
suitable  for,   156,   161,  162. 


Plumbago,   255. 

Pocket,  electric  light,  84,  293 ;  Let- 
ter filched  from  sitter's,  20;  Let- 
ter replaced  in  sitter's,  24. 

Pockets    in    skirts,     190. 

Porter,   Assistant  as,   38. 

Portrait  mediums  in  Chicago,  241, 
294;  of  a  spirit  appears  grad- 
ually on  canvas,   295,   300. 

Portraits,  After  effects  on  spirit, 
307,  310;  developed  from  in- 
visible chemicals  by  spraying, 
Spirit,  299;  produced  from  a 
cabinet.   Spirit,  297. 

Portraiture,  Mr.  C.  W.  Bennett 
on  spirit,  294;  History  of  spirit, 
296. 

Powders  for  developing  an  invis- 
ible  impression,    165,    169. 

Price  asked  for  secrets,  88. 

Private   readings.    Catalogue   of, 
192. 

Progressive    Thinker,    142. 

Psychic    phenomena,    193. 

Psychics:  Facts  and  Theories,  215* 

Psychological,  the  most  essential 
part  of  trick,    1 14. 

Psychometric  tests,    183. 

Puzzling  case.  Dr.  O.  O.  Burgess 
submits   a,    280. 

Queen  Oriana,  Materialization  of, 
72. 

Questions  answered  which  are 
"thought  of"  but  not  written, 
258;  catalogued,  13;  Collection 
of  written  and  signed,  317; 
written  on  spectator's  own  pa- 
per, and  retained  in  their  own 
pockets  secretly  read,  257;  writ- 
ten and  retained  by  spectators 
answered  by  a  blindfolded  lady 
on  the  stage,  253. 

Rappers,  Mechanical,  190;  House 
fitted  with,  292. 

Rapping   hand,    33. 

Raps,  216,  282;  in  the  dark,  56, 
61;    Production  of,   220. 

Rasgorshek,  Mr.  Gabriel,  a  ma- 
gician,  166. 


338 


INDEX. 


Reaching  rod,  Telescopic,  278,  287, 
Reading,    Ability   of   a   medium   to 

give,  245;  question  written  on  a 

slate  by  a  sitter,    132. 
Readings    of    one    medium    and 

palmist,   249. 
Residence,    Medium    tells    sitter's, 

25- 

Respectable  persons.  Confederates 
often,  271. 

Ring,  Message  written  with  a 
gold,  131;  presented  to  spirit, 
74- 

Robbins,  Mr.  Charles  W.,  elec- 
trical   engineer,    214. 

Rope  and  tape-tying,  70,  227,  281, 
284,   287, 

Rubber  stamp  used  to  produce  a 
message,  188;  tube.  Informa- 
tion through,  37;  tube,  Voices 
conducted  to  a  trumpet  by  a 
concealed,    289. 


Sacramento,    222. 

San    Francisco,    282;    Examiner, 
242. 

Savage,  Rev.  Minot  J.,  227;  His 
report  of  a  strange  case,  215. 

Schlessinger,  Dr.  C.  S.,  27,  58, 
95,  178,  216,  222,  225,  226,  227; 
C.  S.  Weller's  report  of  mental 
tests  given  by,  228;  his  spirit 
guide  Levi,  229;  his  vision  of 
Jesus  Christ,  233. 

School  teacher.   Questions  of,  247. 

Scientific  persons  best  subjects, 
85. 

Seance,  a  fraud,  279n. 

Sealed  letter  reading,  Washing- 
ton Irving  Bishop's,  194;  in  a 
new  dress  ,5,  11;  Improvement 
on,   263. 

Sealed  writings,  Mediumistic  read- 
ing of,  210;  Methods  of  read- 
ing, 87,  94,  100,  194;  Prepara- 
tion of,  91. 

Seating  spectators,   Method  of,  71. 

Secrets,  Family,  56,  68;  means  of 
discovering,  135;  of  mediums 
jealously  guarded,  87. 


Selected  word  appears  on  slate, 
147. 

Selection  of  slates,  150;  of  a  sum 
of  figures.  Methods  of  forcing 
the,  160;  of  a  word  which  is  to 
appear  on  a  slate.  Forcing  the 
157- 

"Shall  We  Gather  at  the  River," 
238. 

Silicate    slate   flap,    154. 

Sioux  City,  230. 

Skeptics  seated  well  back,  71. 

Skirts,    Pockets  in,    190. 

Skull  cap  with  sponge  saturated 
with   odorless   alcohol,    177. 

Slade's  slate  performance.  Report 
of,   68. 

Slate  and  dictionary  test,  Yost's 
Spiritualistic,    90. 

Slate  leaving  sitter's  sight,    182. 

Slate  writing  tests:  Chemical 
tricks,  190;  flower  or  other  to- 
ken received  with  a  message, 
138;  How  to  force  the  selection 
of  the  desired  slates,  131;  How 
to  pass  the  slates  from  hand  to 
hand,  124;  How  to  secretly 
read  a  question  written  on  a 
slate  by  a  sitter,  when  a  stack 
of  slates  is  used,  132;  Medium 
prepares  message  on  slates  in 
investigator's  room,  186,  187; 
Message  on  sitter's  own  slates 
held  on  his  own  head,  76,  80; 
Message  on  a  slate  in  colors 
chosen  by  the  spectators  and  in 
answer  to  spoken  questions,  162; 
Message  on  a  slate  resting  in  a 
chandelier,  23;  Message  pro- 
duced by  an  adroit  exchange  of 
slates,  189;  Message  received 
without  slates  leaving  sitter's 
hands,  186;  Message  written  in 
sitter's  presence,  43,  47,  49; 
Message  written  with  a  gold 
ring  belonging  to  the  sitter, 
131;  Message  written  with  toes 
of  medium,  191;  Reporter  mys- 
tified, 181;  Rubber  stamp  to 
produce  a  message,  188;  Sit- 
ter's own  slates  wrapped  in  pa* 


INDEX. 


339 


per  in  which  they  were  pur- 
chased, 185;  Slade's  slate  per- 
formance, Report  of,  68;  Slate 
tricks  suitable  for  platform  pro- 
duction: (i)  With  one  slate 
and  a  flap,  156,  (2)  With  two 
slates  and  a  flap,  161,  (3)  With 
three  slates  and  a  flap,  162; 
SJate  tricks  where  sitter  brings 
his  own  slates,  179:  (1)  where 
medium  does  not  touch  them, 
179;  (2)  Slates  wrapped  in  pa- 
per in  which  they  were  pur- 
chased, 185,  (3)  Without  slates 
leaving  sitter's  hands,  186; 
Slates  belong  to  sitter  and  me- 
dium does  not  touch  them,  179; 
Slates  secretly  removed  from 
sitter's  shoulder  by  a  confed- 
erate, 82;  Some  expert  maneu- 
vering, 127;  Trap  in  baseboard, 
181;  Trap  in  ceiling  or  floor, 
179;  Use  of  a  prepared  chair, 
97,  no;  Where  message  slate 
is  passed  to  stack  from  mantel, 
122;  With  a  double  or  hinged 
slate,  and  a  flap,  150;  With  one 
slate  and  a  flap,  156;  With  sev- 
eral small  slates  and  one  large 
one,  117,  132,  135;  the  same 
with  expert  maneuvering,  129; 
With  stack  of  small  slates  and 
a  rug  or  newspaper,  121;  With 
three  slates  and  a  flap,  142,  147, 
149,  162;  With  two  slates  and 
a  flap,  161;  With  two  slates 
and  a  silicate  flap,  153;  With 
two  slates,  one  being  held  un- 
der the  table  by  the  sitter,  138; 
With  two  slates,  using  the 
"pass,"    125. 

Slates,  Means  of  openig,  187;  Se- 
lection of,    150. 

Soul  of  Man,  by  Dr.   Carus,   274. 

Soul-mates,  310;  Materialization 
of,  73- 

"Soul-travel,"   243. 

Spectators,  Method  of  seating,  71. 

Spelling,   Spirits  poor  at,  307. 

Spermaceti  wax,  255;  Use  of,  164. 

Sphinx,  The,   181. 


Spirit  communion,  293;  paintings, 
59;  poor  at  spelling,  307;  por- 
trait. Name  appears  on,  on  de- 
mand, 310;  portraits.  After  ef- 
fects on,  307,  310;  portraits  de- 
veloped from  invisible  chemicals 
by  spraying,  299;  portraits  pro- 
duced from  a  cabinet,  297;  por- 
traiture, Mr.  C.  W.  Bennett  on, 
294;  portraiture,  History  of, 
296;  slate-writing  and  billet 
tests,  114  ff.;  tie  of  Kellar,  the 
magician,  284;  voices,  lights, 
and  raps,   62. 

Spirits  poor  at  spelling,  307. 

Spooks,    Expose   of,    239. 

Spraying  mechanism  concealed  in 
window   casing,    313. 

Steel  ring  passed  upon  a  sitter's 
arm,  69. 

Stockton,  California,  Swindle  per- 
petrated in,   240. 

Store  room  tests,  35,  37,   166. 

Swindle  of  a  judge  of  a  supreme 
court,  74;  of  a  lady  by  a  me- 
dium, 28;  in  Stockton,  Cali- 
fornia, 240. 

Switch  of  billets,  171;  Another 
method  of,  172;  Tricks  depend- 
ent on,    173. 

Switch  of  slates.     See  Pass. 

Table   rapping,    53. 

Tablet,  A  prepared,  107,  164,  254. 

Tacoma,    241,   300. 

Telegraph  information  to  assist- 
ant, 37. 

Telegraphy  tests.  Touch,  37. 

relephone.  Use  of  a  head,  207, 
256;   Wireless,   214. 

Telescopic  reaching  rod,  278,  287; 
trumpet,   289. 

Tide  is  low.  When  the,  3. 

Token  received  with  a  slate  mes- 
sage,  138. 

Topeka,   266. 

Touch   telegraphy   tests,    37. 

Touches  in  the  dark,   61. 

Trance  vision  in   Mahatma,  85. 

Trap  in  base-board,  183,  239;  in 
ceiling  and  floor,    179. 


340 


INDEX. 


Traps,   Various,   70,   237. 

Treasury  of  Heaven,  241. 

Trickery  verified,   269. 

Trumpet  moved  into  a  tree,  291; 
seance,  266,  277;  seance  ex- 
plained, 268;  seance  with  the 
medium  securely  tied,  280;  Tel- 
escopic, 289;  Voices  from,  56, 
62,  289. 

Trumpets,   Aluminum,   288. 

Tube,  Information  through  rub- 
ber, 37;  Reaching,  237;  Small 
cloth,  167;  Voices  conducted  to 
a  trumpet  by  a  concealed  rub- 
ber, 289. 

Tubes,  Information  from  speaking, 
191. 

Turban,  Mahatma  wearing  a,  200, 
208. 

Ultramarine  blue.  Use  of,   169. 

Vapor    materialization,    75. 

Vest,    Turning     another's,     260; 
Turning    one's   own,    262. 

Vision  of  Jesus  Christ,  Dr.  Schlos- 
senger's,  233. 

N^oices  from  trumpet,  56,  62,289; 
in  the  open  air.  Independent, 
290;  through  concealed  speak- 
ing tubes,  2got 


War  against  mediums,  Chicago's, 
246;  Los  Angeles  Herald's,  244. 

Water,  Blue  flame  on  surface  of, 
41. 

Wax  impression.  Developing  a, 
168;  Use  of  paraffin,  164,  254; 
Use   of   spermaceti,    164. 

Williams,  George  L.,  &  Co.,  deal- 
ers in  secrets,    106,   154,   168. 

Wilson,    Dr.    A.    M.,    of    Kansas 
City,     Mo.,      editor     of     The 
Sphinx,    181,    183. 

\\'ings  of  a  stage,  Use  of  a  black- 
board in  the,  213. 

Wire  cage  screwed  to  the  floor, 
237- 

Wireless  telephone,    214. 

Wooldridge,  Report  of  Clifton  R., 
of  the  Chicago  Police  Depart- 
ment,  238,   246. 

Word  which  is  to  appear  on  a 
slate.  Forcing  the  selection  of 
a,   157. 

Writing,  Impression  of,  developed, 
255. 

Yost  &  Company  of  Philadelphia, 
dealers  in  magical  apparatus, 
spiritualistic    secrets,    etc.,    285. 

Yost's  spiritualistic  slate  and  dic- 
tionary test,  90. 


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